The (Mis)Adventures of Team TRML: Tourmaline
by xXMrBrightsideXx
Summary: You've heard of team RWBY, the famous gals from Beacon. But are you ready for team TRML? Yes, team TRML, a famous team to have graduated from Beacon academy, known for both their skills in combat and hard past. My OC's Roxo Grimmsickle, Teal and Magnolia Ciel, and Lake Akiro were in need of a fanfiction, so I wrote this. Enjoy!
1. T for Teal!

**Team TRML**

 **Exposition One: Teal**

 _Like the moon, we steal from the light, to let your glory and mercy shine._

On our ever so rare excursions, Magnolia and I were mostly unable to get away with anything. Today however, now seventeen and sixteen respectively, Mag and I stopped by the library in secret and plugged into the computers. Although our family was filthy rich, we were empty-handed and were forced to borrow and borrow and borrow, _everything_. However, that would all end within the year. As I transferred my Beacon Application into the email box, I turned to Magnolia, who did the same.

"Once we get that confirmation email we're home free from this dump Teal." She smiled for the first time in years, and the bags under her magnolia colored eyes.

"Finally." I sighed and pressed ENTER on the keyboard, sending the application and transcript to our dream school. Logging out of the server, I waited for Magnolia at the door, fiddling with my fingers and staring at my tan skin. Finally finishing her form, we started our way back home. That was until two Atlas airships flew overhead. Quickly hiding my metallic hair in a hat on a mannequin, I followed Magnolia into an alley around the mall.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." She glanced around the corner, "Atlas wasn't supposed to arrive until next week!"

"Well what do we—

"Quiet! I need to think."

I leaned over her to peek at the landing planes in the courtyard. A frustrated looking Winter Schnee stood, staring around as if this specific part of Vale was more disgusting than anywhere else. Taking the rural road home, we arrived to locked gates and an empty estate.

"Oh no." Magnolia extended her gauntlets and was about to jam the blades into the lock.

"Don't move." A familiarly eerie voice said behind us and I reached for my sheath.

"Shit!" I raised my hands to a small league of Atlas specialists.

"Seize the kids, I'll take the family." Winter said and broke the lock herself.

"What happened?" I muttered to Magnolia.

"I don't know, maybe something went wrong when Father was trafficking dust or…the Faunus, White Fang is on the rise. Mother and Father were tattled on."

"So we're not escaping this are we?"

"You bet your ass you're not." A soldier poked my on the head with the barrel of his rifle.

Suddenly, Magnolia activated her rockets and propelled her fists into the police. With the flares and flames around her, she spun and kicked them all unconscious.

"Mag!" I protested, but she took my hand and dragged me to the city. Without an answer, I transformed my sword sheath back into a guitar case and blended into the crowd with her. Within minutes, our faces lit up on every billboard. Instantly, the crowd in the city was cleared and there was nowhere left to hide. In the distance, our whole family was being hauled into an airship.

"Just don't look." Magnolia shielded her eyes from the sight and headed in the opposite direction.

"Of course, it's not like they really cared about us anyway." I kicked a rock under my foot, "Dad probably hates me for being gay and don't even get me started with mom."

"Don't talk like that Teal, c'mon we're almost to the train station."

Before we even stepped foot on the station, marches sounded behind and around us. An entire legion of Atlas soldiers cornered us, with Winter leading the crusade.

"Illegal Dust trafficking, Faunus labor," she began listing each and every crime, "extorting Atlas officers, and endless accusations of counterfeit. The Ciels have committed more these crimes over a hundred times in the past twenty years."

"Why do think we tried to escape it?" Magnolia placed a hand on her hip, "I didn't want to live a life of crime and neither did Teal. Neither Mother nor Father gave us any profit from it, so from my standpoint we're innocent."

"Oh but that still has to be looked into," Winter held her thin cutlass tightly, "Arrest them."

"Then if that's the game you wish to play." I unsheathed my obsidian guitar, holding the neon axe preparedly. Just when shots were fired toward us, I struck a loud F sharp chord and sent the bullets back to their barrels. Taking a dozen of soldiers to the ground, I transformed the weapon into long sword and held it with the blade pointing behind me.

"That wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it would be." Magnolia extended her gauntlets once again, revealing the swords completely. The white pair on the left were aimed forward, the barrel at the base of her wrist pointed towards Winter. Spinning the wheel on her wrist, she stopped it at the lightning Dust, and held the trigger. A golden glow grew brighter the longer she held it until she finally fired it, but redirected it into the ground.

"Teal! This way." She pulled me through the stinging yellow cloud to the oncoming train, "Don't breathe this stuff in."

I sheathed my sword and sprinted into the building. Vision narrowing and knees weighing more with each step, I coughed out the yellow dust and my muscles suddenly buckled and I fell, stunned.

"Your gimmick didn't work!" I shouted at Magnolia, who was also on the ground, but facing away from me.

"Don't tell me twice!" She retorted as older siblings do when their younger sibling is pestering them.

"That was a nice little trick though." Winter's voice cleared away the fog and revealed even more unconscious soldiers, "Creating a cloud of lightning dust to paralyze whomever breathed it in was quite clever if I do say so myself."

"Please, we're really innocent. I swear!" I shouted, but the remaining two officers hoisted us up over their shoulders.

"Until proven guilty."

Barely regaining feeling on the airship, I slowly shifted my weight to look around the grey cabin. Magnolia was sitting up straight, handcuffed and weapons confiscated. I felt around for mine, but was already chained to the seats I was laying in.

"Where are you taking us?" I shouted to the guards in the cockpit.

"Court. Your family's already in Atlas prison." Winter announced, oddly angry for whatever reason still, "Like I said, you will be proven guilty or not."

Landing in what appeared to be Atlas, I hesitated to exit the vehicle, purposely stumbling over the officers. The steel floored corridors clanked under my sneakers as I walked. Glancing at the exit sign to my left, I paused in place for a moment, checking my surroundings. I checked behind myself for Magnolia, but I the guards were all I saw.

"Don't even think about it kid." The butt of a gun once again nudged me.

"Don't worry, I doubt he even has enough energy to think right now." The officer on my right stated.

 _I wouldn't count on that_ , I held my tongue, slightly irritated.

"Keep it movin'."

"How much further is it?"

"Just keep goin' `til we tell ya'."

Slowly grasping the seriousness of this court meeting, I dropped any ideas or hopes of escaping. Busting through the court doors as if I was a murderer, the judge gestured a seat, but countless practice court-scenarios led me before he could point. Sitting through over two hours of firing back and forth can really take a toll on a person. Rubbing the dark circles under my eyes and rolling them nonchalantly, I followed the group out of the room, not listening to the verdict.

"He is…Guilty!" A gavel hit the stand just as an imaginary sword penetrated my stomach, "The sentence is: Life in Atlas Military!"

"No, no, no, no…" I endlessly repeated before being hauled into another building.

"Teal? Teal!" Magnolia busted inside another corridor, as well as bullets in the wall and her shouts, "HELP!"

"Magnolia!"

I became unconscious again, and woke up in an Atlesian uniform. Wanting to rip it off and run back to Vale, I weakly tugged at the collar.

"Get ready soon, General Ironwood would like to speak with you." An automated voice came from the speaker in the corner.

"Great." I coughed when I snapped the collar back into place. The leather in between each metal plate stretched when I stood. A short frame of black blinded me for a moment as the oxygen rushed too quickly to my brain.

"Stood up too fast?" The same voice said from the other side of the sliding doors, "This way rascal."

I bit back every remark and smart comment, remaining utterly silent until I met with Ironwood, who was in the next room. Inside this dark-steel room was floating green panes that were the computers and two people I currently despised. Winter Schnee stood sentient beside General Ironwood's desk, still irritated as ever.

"This is one of the siblings we apprehended." She said with pride, "I figured if we separated them that they would not try anything risky."

"Where is the girl then, Schnee?" Ironwood stood and leaned on his desk.

"In Vale, sir."

"Under whose custody is she?"

"U-Under Branwen, sir?"

"Dusty old Qrow? What a foolish mistake, Schnee."

At the moment, any camera in the room was on me, any guards' eyes on watch, but I became invisible to these two. I cleared my throat for attention and bowed quite informally.

"What is it kid?" Ironwood sneered.

"Nothing, just making sure you knew I was here still." I retorted.

"Enough! Ciel, return to your quarters!" Ironwood pounded on his desk, unamused by my intently harmless joke. Startled and unwanting of any more trouble, I formally bent and left back to my 'quarters'.

"Great, I'll be spending the rest of my time _here_." I retrieved an old photograph from my original outfit, and stuck it to the corkboard above my bunk. I lay down with my legs crossed in front of me, not caring if I was wearing shoes on the bed. Shutting my eyes and trying to drown out the discontentment of being in my least favorite kingdom.

Next week began with training, not much different than that of which I had on the estate, but much more overwhelming. Well equipped with the sweat wicking garments underneath the armor, I was uncertain how many others I would be training with. An endless row of boys my age and above snaked down the courtyard, all dripping with sweat and bulging with the push-ups we were doing.

 _God, I'm barely breaking a sweat, what's with them?_ I desired to say out loud, but the spit of punishment from _last time_ still hurt. Another day, another confrontation justified with 'I barely broke a sweat and did every one, ask the instructors,' passed and I began to worry this is what would become of my life. Squirting the water from my bottle onto my face and arms, I peered at the television.

The news opened with Vale, and how the next Vytal festival would be held this summer. I yearned to be part of it, not on Atlas's side, but on Vale's, Beacon's. I scoffed at the sight and carried my duffle bag to the locker room. The following week was the same, endless push-ups, training sessions, sparring, etc. However, this was my one and only chance to escape Atlas. We were boarding a plane to Beacon to replace the old sentient with the newer models.

"Ciel," Lieutenant beckoned just as I was about to sneak away, "I need your assistance at the moment."

"Yes, sir." I lifted the other end of a crate with her and set it down behind the airship. In the distance, a familiar shade of hair and color caught my eye. Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon was walking down the lane with Magnolia. I glanced at Lieutenant Charcoal, who was busy strapping the cargo to a car, and snuck away.

"Magnolia!" I shouted, throwing my helmet aside, "Magnolia!"

"Professor Oz—Teal?" I could see her mouth as I neared her, "Teal!"

I met her with a tight embrace and a concerned look from Ozpin. For the first time in almost a year, I squeezed her back and she did the same.

"Magnolia, I take it this is your…" The white-haired man said.

"Brother, Headmaster, this is Teal."

He offered a hand and I shook it firmly, "Nice to meet you, but what is one of my applicants doing in Atlas?"

"O-Oh, that is not a question I can answer." I glanced back to check if any other units realized my absence, "You may need to ask general Ironwood."

"Very well, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"Of course, sir." I noticed this was out of habit to call everyone 'sir,' but it had become compulsory in my mindset. Luckily, when I returned to my station, none of the other officers had seen my escape. Once I boarded again for our departure, Lieutenant Charcoal threw a satchel at me and told me to head to the Headmaster's office.

"May I ask why, sir?" I questioned.

"I am not authorized to answer that." She ushered me outside and returned to the cockpit. This area was unfamiliar to me, especially at night, but I made my way toward the largest tower there was. Breathing slightly heavier at the elevator, I pressed the button and prepared to walk in as casually as I please. I tripped once I saw General Ironwood besides Ozpin and Magnolia in the corner. Another woman, Glynda Goodwitch, stood aside Ozpin as well.

"Ironwood, sir!" I regained composure and saluted his presence until he waved it away.

"No need, Teal." He called me by my first name, which caught me by surprise.

"You're late," Ozpin said, "we were discussing your transfer, so it might have been helpful to be punctual, mister Ciel."

"Tr-Transfer?"

"Transfer!?" Winter's irritation frightened the living snot out of everyone in the room, "We tried him guilty!"

"I'm well aware of that Schnee, but you're lack of evidence made him innocent."

She glared at his and Ironwood's direction and hid in the corner, away from Magnolia. By the time our signing of transcripts and forms were over, I was bursting at the seams with excitement. After I signed the final form, Ozpin looked up with a smile.

"Welcome to Beacon, Teal Ciel." He stated.

"Thank you." I managed to say.

"You two head to the ballroom for the night, initiation is tomorrow." Glynda said, sharing looks with Ozpin, "Now!"

Both of us gladly heeded her command. Inside the elevator, I let out a scream no ordinary human could make, successfully temporarily deafening Magnolia and myself.

"I'm finally gonna go to Beacon!" I shouted, "We're together again!"

"I know Teal! Now if you'd calm down now." She said, shaking me by the shoulders.

"Right, right."

"There are cute guys here though."

"There always is at least one Mag."

She smirked and I followed her to the ballroom. Seeing everyone already dressed in pajamas and such, I decided to change as well before meeting Magnolia in our spot in the center of the room.

"Hey, Teal." She broke me from my staring, "Which one are you looking at?"

"N-No one." I unsuccessfully hid the red in my cheeks.

"Grey?"

I shook my head 'no.'

"Oh, I know then. Purple?"

I did not bother answering.

"Well, since you're not gonna do anything then."

"What?"

"Let me finish. Ahem, I dare you to go try to scare him."

I grinned at her and quietly tiptoed towards him. Just as I was about to scream at him, he stood up, much taller than I would have expected, and was about to burst into tears.

"W-Way to pick on the blind kid a-asshole." He said and moved into a corner, farther from anyone else. I grimaced and shot an angry glance at Magnolia.

"Nice one." She said.

"Hey, this is you're fault, go apologize."

"Fine."


	2. R for Purple!

**Team TRML**

 **Exposition Two: Purple**

 _One born in darkness will never see beauty in the light, but someone in the light will never see the dark._

"Roxo! Roxo get up," Nyx excitedly shook me by the head, "dad finally saved enough to send me to Beacon!"

"Wha-Really?" I stared at the blob of color that was his face, "Dad is this real?"

"You betcha'." He responded from the kitchen.

I decided to stand from the small cot I called a bed, but required extra help. Dusting off the torn rags of my school uniform, Nyx lent a hand for me to get to my feet. Familiar vibrations rebounded back into them, giving me an idea where I was in the house. I stammered in dizziness, having stood up too quickly.

"Alright Rox'?" Dad called again, "Here let me help you out."

"No, no I'm fine." I regained balance, "I-I just forget I'm blind sometimes."

"So sorry. After school today, we'll be dropping of your brother at the airport okay?"

"O-Oh, al-alright." I stared blankly his direction, "Today?"

"Yeah." Nyx said, still excited.

"Come eat breakfast you two, than go ahead to school." I stumbled into the stool next to Nyx and waited until he had finished. Before we could begin our journey to school, Dad stopped us to hand Nyx his lunch.

"Go get 'em one last day. Your mom would be proud." He said, and ushered us out of the door. Of course, classes went by in a blur, as they normally did. Unfortunately for me, four teachers had called for my answer and I had stuttered to the point of forgetting my answer. I shrank back into the corner like I always did when I was embarrassed and silently scribbled into my notebook. After endless close calls with lockers and pillars, I called a quits and sat at a nearby bench, crying in frustration.

"Roxo? You okay kid?" A passing teacher asked, but knew the answer through my expression.

I did not have the confidence to respond at the moment, both embarrassed that someone caught me sobbing and the irritation of being lost.

"Can't find your class again?" He sat beside me; I could feel his presence on the bench.

I nodded.

"C'mon kid. My classroom." His unbearably raspy voice and alcoholic breath was never more comforting than then. I wiped my tears away and accepted his hand, finding Nyx as fast as I could after his lesson. A shy twelve-year-old like myself at the time was too concerned with hiding behind his brother on the way home.

As I scribbled my homework into my notebook, Nyx's happiness was too distracting for me to work. When his alarm to leave finally sounded, he screamed, violently startling me and anyone else who heard it. Outside, Dad already had a cab hailed and next thing I knew, we were on the way to the airport.

I shyly hugged my knees in the car for the entire ride, unable to see the passing scenery. Finally at the grounds where the planes were parked, I was forced to say goodbye to my older brother, the best friend a child could ask for. I cried on his shoulder as he boarded the airship and had to be pried away from him. Before re-entering the taxi, Dad pointed out a familiar figure boarding another plane.

"Rox'. Isn't that your teacher, uhm, Mister Brawnen I think?" He turned my shoulders to face that general direction.

"I-I don't know Dad." I whimpered and peered up at him, "I can't see him."

"Well wanna say hi?"

"N-No thank y-you." I replied, although I did, deep inside.

"Are you sure? Son, what's the worst that could go wrong?"

"I-It might not b-be h-him."

"Gosh, you're so shy kid, let's go."

"B-But dad."

Too low to be heard, I was dragged towards him, forced to speak again. I hid behind my father's shoulder staring back at the car behind us.

"Hey. Aren't you Mister Branwen? Yeah, my son actually goes to your school." He began.

"Huh?" He turned around, red cape flowing with him, "Oh, you must be, uh, oh yes, Grimmsickle."

"Yeah, my oldest son is actually going off to Beacon before we saw you, but Roxo just wanted to say hi."

Brawnwen shot an uneasy smirk my way and wave.

"I'll be leavin' that small school actually now, goin' off to teach at Beacon too."

"Really? Well, could you say hello to my other son as well, Nyx."

"I'll do my best." He bowed mockingly and peered behind Dad, to me, "Hey Roxo."

"Say hi." Dad had to remind me, "C'mon, I know you can."

I hesitantly shook my hand at him.

"I hope to see you at Beacon too, you're a pretty cool kid."

I smiled and rocked onto my heels with that compliment, staring at the ground.

"Now if you don't mind me, I have to go now, but keep this." Branwen dropped a small pendant in my hands, a silver crow.

"Th-Thank you." I hugged him, much to his surprise, "Say hi to my brother at Beacon." I watched him leave as well, and headed back to the taxi with my old man.

"See that wasn't so bad." He joked, and I smiled back at him in response. Home without Nyx now both seemed easier and harder for the both of us, one less mouth to feed with Dad's meager wage, and the loss of our oldest child. Two whole passed until visitation was allowed. Now fourteen, I was more excited to see my brother again and was even more enthusiastic to tell him how well I was doing with my education. I could barely contain myself on the train ride to the visitation office at Beacon.

"Hello," My dad calmly spoke to the attendee as I wandered the near empty hall. Straying far enough to tune out their conversation, I sensed a familiar body in the room.

"Is that…no way." I lazily walked toward the figure, "Mister Branwen?"

"Hmm?" His still raspy voice came with a flush of relief, "Roxo? How'd you recognize me kid? I thought you were blind."

"I-I d-don't know, it's like I recognized your vibrations in the ground."

"Can you now? That must be your semblance then."

"Oh, c-cool." I shrugged, unable to come up with any other remarks, "I guess."

"God, you've grown since I last saw ya'. What are you doing here kiddo?"

"M-My dad and I are here, because, uhm, oh yeah, we're visiting my brother."

"Cool, have you thou—

"Crow." Another voice called from the other end of the corridor.

"Listen kid, I've got to go, but I'll see you around."

"Crow!"

"I'm coming Glynda!"

Then he left me, lost in the long hallway. Long after he left did I bashfully wave back. I panicked, but realized I wasn't too far from Dad. I slightly stumbled to walk near him, but anchored myself on his shoulder.

"What do you mean he is not here?" I could feel his anger radiating.

"I'm sorry sir, but your son, Nyx, was expelled last year. Did you receive the notice?"

"No we actually don't even get mail."

"That's too bad Mister Grimmsickle, our sincerest apologies. The most we can do is give you a train pass back to your area."

"Alright." Dad sighed, "Thank you for your help."

I followed him out of the building, clueless. Noticing his attitude falling, I twiddled my thumbs and decided to ask what the problem was.

"So…Dad, what happened, will we see Nyx again?" I said.

"Sorry Roxo, but Nyx isn't here anymore."

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"He took our money and bounced!" He shouted and I stumbled backwards in fear. Trembling, I struggled to keep up with his pace. I kept my distance for the rest of the walk, and remained hushed on the train, as did he. I was fighting back the tears from streaming down my face and I could tell Dad was as well. With a low whimper and one tear escaping, I failed and began to bawl on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry son," He ran a hand up and down my back, "I, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"I-It's okay." I said in between hiccups, _I'm more upset at Nyx right now._

"I'm worried about Nyx too, but don't worry about him, it's not your fault."

I shifted from his shoulder and buried my face in my hands. I wanted to stop crying, but the tears would not stop falling. My whining did not slow until we were near the slums of Vale.

"Son, Rox'. Please, stop crying, I know it's hard, but…I can't think of a reason."

"I-I c-can't," I only sobbed more, "I-It's a-all I know how to d-do. I'm too sensitive, I'm too shy at school, the teachers don't e-even wanna call on me."

"Well, they should have a reason to, your doing so well in school right now."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you when we get home."

Our stroll home was filled with laughter instead of sobs and snivels. I do not know how he could always do it, but Dad always found a way to bring smiles everywhere he went. The following year I was graduating primary school and would move onto higher education. Now, at fifteen years, I was working harder than ever. I saved enough money for proper glasses, although they were well over ten diopters in strength and I was legally blind. Nonetheless, I could actually read now and write neater. Another year passed and I was debating whether or not to go to Beacon.

"Roxo," Dad opened the garage door where I was welding, "you come rest now. It's already midnight."

"I can't, I'm almost done with my project," I shouted over the screams of burning metal and pulled the mask back down, "and the final draft of my essay contest is due tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" He said, "Can I get you anything then, water?"

"I'd appreciate that."

Five minutes later, I had emptied six plastic bottles of water and Dad was fast asleep. Red-eyed and messy-haired, the next morning called for coffee and plenty of sugar. I kissed Dad on the forehead before leaving, and stopped by the local library to check my e-mail. I grinned maniacally at the confirmation and did my best to avoid drawing attention to myself. I printed out the certificate and bounded home excitedly.

"Dad! DAD! DAD!" I shouted and slammed the door, "Dad! Wake UP!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa what happened kid? Is the stove on fire again?" He said.

"Wait…is it?" I quickly sniffed the air, "No, that's not it."

"Then what is it Roxo?"

"I got a scholarship to BEACON!" I beamed, "They gave me one hundred percent as well as extra money for my spending."

"Wow, that's great kiddo!" He smiled and jumped out of bed, "See, all that hard work paid off."

"Yeah," my adrenaline finally cooled, "it really did."

"Your mom would be proud," he pointed me over to her portrait, "can finally buy her a proper house of gold."

"In due time father."

"When are you leaving?"

"Soonest flight out."

"Great, go get showered and clean then I'll meet you downstairs."

I quickly raced in and out of the bathroom and stopped by the garage for a moment. There it stood, the most important part of the rest of this journey; my weapon, respectively named _Grimmsickle_. I slowly picked up the light steel, and ran a finger across the flat side of the blade, all the way across the pickaxe-like scythe. Drawing my finger closer to the edge, I felt the serrated teeth all pointing downwards and felt a great deal of pride wash over myself, well deserved pride. Folding it back into a more compact form, I strapped it to my back and met Dad outside.

"You ready?" He said, opening the door of the car for me. I nodded in agreement and we headed toward the airport.

"Any last words before I leave, Dad?" I opened the door again, letting my long legs stretch out.

"I just can't believe you're six feet tall now, son," He remarked, "I'm gonna miss you."

"I know, I'll be sure to write to you, since we actually have a mailbox now."

"I'd like that."

"Well, I have to leave," I straightened out my vest and tie, both purple, "Be sure to visit."

I waved back to him again as I boarded the airship. Throwing my glasses into my small string bag, I sat in the corner, away from anyone else. I straddled the seat and stared at the passing colors and blurbs that were the small cities. Staring in the area I had grown up in, I smiled down, almost letting a tear down my cheek.

"Initiates this way." The crowd was guided into a small amphitheater. On the stage, headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch stood behind the microphone.

"I'll keep this brief." Ozpin began a speech, "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge will only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." (Actual quote by Ozpin, Volume 1, chapter 3)

And then he left, _What a strange speech._

Now Glynda was behind the mic, "You will gather at the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins, be ready. You are dismissed."

I stared blankly around at the other students, unsure where the ballroom actually was. Following the diminishing crowd to the large hall, I assumed we were staying here for the night, until our actual dorms were ready.

 _I wonder what team I'll join._ I pondered, glancing at each of my peers in the room. I felt several vibrations my way. Allowing the shorter male figure to sneak closer to me, I turned around before he could try to scare me.

"W-Way to pick on the blind kid as-asshole." I said, standing up to look down at him, ignoring his apologies. I pushed my way past him once we landed, as well as another hundred kids and into a corner by the window.

The application form for Beacon had not said anything about an initiation, but I was more than exhilarated to test the Grimmsickle for the first time. Both intimidated by the surrounding boys and timid around the girls in the room, I settled in a corner with my bag and blanket, gazing out at the starry night alone.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" A feminine voice said behind me.

"O-Oh, y-yeah it is." I sat up again to speak to her formally.

"I'm Magnolia, but call me Mag."

"O-Okay, I'm Roxo."

"Cool," She pulled on her collar, "I'm sorry about my brother earlier."

"W-Why would you be?"

"He was the one who tried to scare you. 'The one picking on the blind kid.'"

I could sense her bite back a phrase, but recognized her good intentions through my, _What was it? Oh yes, semblance_.

Dissatisfied by only _hearing_ her, I placed the inch thick glasses on my face again, blinking to adjust to them.

"You dared him to didn't you?" I said.

"Uh-Uhm…yeah it was my fault."

"I-It's okay r-really, my brother used to do that to me too. I understand."

"Oh, figures," Mag unhinged two gauntlets from her wrists, "I'm pretty pumped for tomorrow though, Beacon's website said nothing about an initiation."

"Same, but I'm a little nervous though. Aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I am too, I've never even thought of seeing Grimm before this."

"Neither have I."

"Well, I don't really have any friends here yet, so mind if I crash here tonight?"

"N-Not at all."

And like that, she was the first acquaintance I had made at Beacon academy. Finally dozing into a suitable amount of shut-eye, I dreamed of how I would fare against the Grimm Initiation tomorrow.


	3. M for Magnolia!

**Team TRML**

 **Exposition Three: Magnolia**

 _Do not fear God and what he can do, fear the man that thought brought Him to life._

Despite the rush of Atlesian officers chasing me down in the corridor, I sprinted further to my innocent baby brother. The unnecessary stomps began to close in and I became panic-stricken. Tears streaming down my cheeks, I extended my gauntlets and fired a shell of fire Dust into the ground. With the resulting explosion and whirl of flames scorching the steel, another league of militants bullied me into a corner.

"Stand down Magnolia Ciel!" The lieutenant commanded, "I will have every one of my men fire if you do not deactivate your weapons."

I had thought that she was joking, but seeing every gun pointed my way, I strapped my weapons to my back and raised my hands over my head. Two cold cuffs surrounded my wrists and an even colder pair of hands gripped my shoulders, preventing any hopes of escape.

"Where are you taking me?" I futile resisted the hold once again.

"Wait here." The officer to my left pushed me into the plane and moved the cuffs around a pipe. As soon as they exited and shut the hull I extended one of my swords and slashed at the lock.

 _I know when I'm at a loss._ I contemplated escaping, but realized that it would only bring more, worse problems.

"Hello?" I called, and stepped toward the cockpit. The satisfying sound of wedges clicking against the floor was all that answered.

"Hello?" I called again.

"Wha-What? Whose there?" An old-sounding man snorted from the pilot's seat, "You must be Winter's new _client._ Wonder why she picked _me_ out of all of her acquaintances."

"Who are _you_?" I stepped back, reaching for at least one of my weapons, ". Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"My apologies, I forgot how formal the rich are." He mock-bowed similarly to Teal, "I'm Qrow. You're new supposed probation officer."

"Probation officer my ass." I put a hand on my hips and glared at the metal canteen in his hands.

"Hey, hey little lady. That kind of attitude will land you back in this wretched kingdom."

I turned around before he could finish and slumped into the passenger seat. Qrow did the same in the pilot's seat, but snored even louder than Teal could. I crossed my legs and gazed out of the windshield, contemplating how many of those birds I could shoot right between the eyes. Another hour passed until Winter finally returned to the aircraft. Startled by her presence, I dashed back to my initial position, praying she would not notice.

"Qrow!" She shouted, "Get up!"

"Wha-What?" He stumbled out of the chair, "I wasn't sleeping if that's what you were thinking, Ice Queen."

"Nice try. The pilot's here, if you don't mind getting out of his seat."

Qrow gestured both hands toward the cockpit, with a scornful 'Be my guest.' I tried my best not to giggle at the argument, waiting until Winter left. When she did, I could not hold it back anymore.

"What's wrong with you, kid?" He said, staring as if I was a madwoman, "You're not having a seizure or something are you?"

"No, it's just you two are funny. Like an old married couple." I gripped the handlebars once the plane took off.

"First of all, I can't see how anyone could stand to be in a relationship with that wench, and secondly, I like your humor."

For a few more minutes I crossed my legs and rest my hands behind my head. I wiped the grin away from my cheeks and leered Qrow dead in the eyes.

"I'll be able to see Teal again, won't I?" I grimaced.

"No, you won't. Both Winter and I agree that you two are safer to keep separated. It will help keep the population of Vale peaceful."

"So you're saying I can't be with him because Vale will fear us," I said, "That's like a dream come true and torture."

"It's for the sake of the kingdom, helps keep Grimm at bay."

"Seems _so_ fair. We are innocent you know."

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me."

"Well, uhm."

"Yeah, _innocent_."

I growled and crossed my arms, avoiding eye contact with him again. We finally landed in a different city in Vale. I watched as the door opened to a long stone path and gaped at the sight.

"Is this Beacon?" I stared in disbelief, pinching my arm to see if I was dreaming.

"Ya' think?" Qrow sassed.

"Shut it! That was a rhetorical question."

"Watch it."

"I thought my application was denied. I got arrested, how could I have?"

"Don't jump to conclusions. You're not going to school here."

"Oh. Well a girl can dream." I shrugged, rubbing my forearm ruefully. Qrow walked ahead of me, resting his hands on the back of his head. The hideously torn cape behind him lifted with his shoulders, revealing a coiled blade of sorts.

"What are we doing here then?" I questioned.

"You're going under custody of Headmaster Ozpin. For now."

I shot him a distressed glare, "Aren't you supposed to be watching over me?"

"I'm busy as a Huntsman, and dear ol' Ozzie has a lot more time than I have."

We exchanged looks to carry out the rest of the conversation, all of the way to the Headmaster's office. The faces continued in the elevator and did not stop until Ozpin's desk.

"Qrow! You're acting like a child." Glynda slammed her crop in front of him. Qrow flinched and straightened himself. I shrank behind him as well, fearing the many eyes on me at the moment. Ozpin made his way around the desk, holding a strange looking walking stick in one hand and a mug in the other.

"Magnolia Ciel." He bent and stared me in the eyes, "You have…lavender colored contacts?"

"There natural actually." I stepped back, farther from him.

"My apologies." He moved to the front of his next to Glynda.

"So, I'll be under your supervision from now on I take?"

"That's how it seems, but I will treat you as one of my students." I lit up a his words, "I've looked at your transcripts personally and have taken into account your application."

"A-And?"

"Well, you're no ordinary rich child my dear. And I could say the same about your brother."

"What about Teal?"

"I'll try everything in my power to get you two back together."

"As illegal as it is, Miss Ciel," Glynda dismissed Qrow, "We believe general Ironwood did make a mistake, you were perfectly innocent."

"I can't thank you enough Headmaster, and Miss Goodwitch. Really, it's truly a blessing that you're helping me."

"Oh don't thank us yet."

"You're both scheduled to join next years students, but for now I'll take you to a private dorm."

"Al-Alright." I shyly followed her into the elevator again, _Next year?_

"Right this way Miss Ciel." She opened the door to a small dorm, which was slightly dusty, but nothing short of necessary. A bed perched over the desk, a gothic wooden wardrobe, and a fun-looking chair on wheels made the quarters.

"How will I be able to reach you?" I blew dust off of the desk and looked back at Glynda, "There isn't a phone in here."

"Yes, that reminds me." She pulled a transparent device from her pocket and handed it over, "Both Ozpin and my numbers are in there, as well as the legitimate funds you had made."

I took the cell phone with both hands and placed it inside of the inner pocket of my jacket. More than one occasion would happen in the following months where I had found myself in the back of a lecture hall, only to be dragged out by the professor. Over the course of three months, I had been familiarized with the lessons. I had lost track of the passing time and I found myself slouching in my now favorite spinning-chair, feet on the desk. I stared at the ceiling, counting the bb holes I had shot into it.

"Magnolia?" Lilac knocked on the door; she was a local girl who had planned to go to Beacon as well. She continued knocking until I finally stood up and drearily opened the door.

"Yes?" I responded, staring down at her short stature, "How much coffee did you have this morning?"

"Two venti sized cappuccinos. Are we still on for the town today?"

"Oh shit, yeah, yeah. I had forgotten already." I slapped my forehead, "Let me just get my shoes first."

"Hold up a second, something's up. I know! Today's your birthday!"

"What?" I froze, never having told her, "How'd you know?"

"Because I know stuff silly," she smiled and dragged me outside, "C'mon, I'll take you shopping, we'll get your hair done, my treat."

"Oh, okay," I smiled, "You don't have too, but really let's go."

I caught a glimpse of Ozpin and Glynda in the hall across the way, but Lilac's dragging me was too fast to even say hi. We quickly dashed around the city as well, swift enough that my nails didn't have any time to dry.

"Whoa, slow down Lila." I stopped and leaned on my knees.

"No, hurry we'll be late for the salon!" She shouted.

"Okay, just let me catch my breath," She took my wrist again and before I knew it we were on the corner of Fourth and Fremont street. The aroma of hair care products and hair dye was overwhelming inside the store, but was quickly overtaken by sweet conditioner once I sat in the chair.

"See Magnolia, this is fun." Lilac shifted to look at me despite the hairdresser's wishes, "What do you wanna do next, look at boys, shop some more?"

"Neither of those." I groaned and closed my eyes, "Wanna destroy those football players in the park over there?"

"There's the Mag' I know. Maybe we should have done that before we got our nails done."

"Later?"

"I will if you do."

"Then football it is."

She giggled quietly next to me, but I asked the dresser for a magazine to pass the time. Another hour passed, but it was worth every second. My hair was fabulously tied in a bun, without any stray strands, and my heels completed the outfit.

 _I look ridiculous, it's amazing. What would Teal say about this?_ I winced at the thought, _Dammit Magnolia! Way to trigger yourself_.

"Maggie, are you okay?" Lilac chuckled, standing on her toes to look at me in the eyes, "My cousin's gonna pick us up if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course. Your cousin, uh, Tungsten right?"

"Yeah. And when we're in the car your going to tell me what's wrong promise."

"What? Yeah." I had dozed off before I wrapped my pinky around hers, "Dammit Lilac stop doing that!"

"Got ya." She snickered and climbed into her cousin's car, "Get in loser."

I rolled my eyes and climbed in next to her. She leaned in closer, beckoning me as if she was a robber. Tungsten ignored us fighting in the back seat and continued driving back to Beacon.

"I'll get it out of you tomorrow at orientation if you don't tell me now."

"Fine." I sneered, "This is the first birthday I've had without my brother by my side. End of story."

"Ah what? At least tell me how he died."

"He didn't die you twat. He was drafted into Atlas and can't leave."

"He's pretty cute though," She said and I slammed my pocket to check for my wallet.

"Lilac!" I snatched it from her, "He's not you're type either."

"I don't have a type Mag!"

"He's not straight you dimwit." I snickered and Tungsten adjusted his rear view mirror, "Stay in your lane boy."

He chuckled and unlocked the car doors, "We're here, fare's five dollars a block."

"Very funny Tungsten," Lilac slammed the door behind her, "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here." I veered away from the Atlas airships deploying new troops, "This way."

"Miss Ciel." Ozpin's shadow overcame both Lilac's and mine, "Nail polish? Curled hair? I see you've had an eventful day Magnolia."

Lilac disappeared just as I needed her to help me cover for myself. I reached for her just as she dashed away.

"Well Ozpin," I twiddled my thumbs, "Today is my birthday you know."

"I'm well aware of that, but for now I need to speak with you. In private."

"Must be urgent."

"Indeed. About orientation tomorrow."

"What of it?"

"You've been keeping yourself lithe, correct?"

"Pardon?"

"Have you been practicing your combat skills?"

"Of course."

"Good, I do have quite the surpr—

"Magnolia!" Someone shouted in the distance.

"Now who could that be?"

"Teal? Teal!" I shouted and let myself be swung around him. I gave him a hard wake-up slap as well, "You left me alone you ass."

Ozpin sent a questionable look at me, but allowed us privacy. The afternoon had blurred past and that evening I was called to Ozpin's office. A full half-hour of discussing transcripts and transfers occurred inside and neither of us could contain our excitement.

"Alright you two go meet the rest of the students in the ballroom. Magnolia will show you where it is." Glynda pointed at the elevator.

We both screamed in the elevator and chat non-stop on the walk to the ballroom. His jaw dropped at the room full of boys just as I thought it would. We found a spot in the center of the room together.


	4. L for Blue!

**Team TRML**

 **Exposition Four: Lake**

 _A flame only glows brightest in the shadow of another._

Vacuo's sun beat down on my sweat-wicked skin as I held my board against my side. I dove into the lake's icy cold water, paddling out into the center. I sat on the board with legs on either side, and looked around for other people.

"Perfect," I grinned that the shores were empty. I began waving my hands back and forth, moving the water in sync. Small crests began to form until waves began to crash onto the shore. I began to paddle forward, and stood on the board, pulling a large wave behind me. The tunnel was impressive; a whole head taller than me. I sped through it, sticking my hand in the barrel until I reached the edge, where I flew into the air. I squinted at the sun and grabbed the tip of the board, before landing in time with another wave.

I went through hours of solitary fun, surfing endlessly. My childishness was not limited either, for I spent another hour causing bubbles of water to float in the air, and then burst them into a cloud of mist. Finally out of breath, I laid back on my board, basking under the summer sun. I fell asleep in the middle of the water and awoke to the sun hanging just above the coast. Frantic, I rode a jet of water to shore and searched for my clothes. I threw my board shorts into a plastic bag and pulled on a pair of sweats and a tank top. By the time I got home the sun had set and I was still dripping wet.

"You went to the lake again? Or was it the river this time?" Father sneered at the front door. I jumped back at his reaction, nearly slipping on my puddles.

"I can't explore once in a while?" I pouted, "You guys always keep me on the estate without a clue what's outside."

"Your mother and I just want you to be safe, that's all," he opened a drawer for a towel, "dry off at least before you speak to me."

"No, no. I got it," I positioned my hands in front of me and repeatedly pushed them forward in a wave-like motion. The water from my body concentrated into a large bubble, which I poured into the pots by the porch.

"We need you here on the property now more than ever," he sounded more disappointed than usual, "you're our only child. _I_ need you to learn how to handle money properly and how to run the business."

"But _I_ don't want to dad!" I shouted, earning a glance from the maids and the chef, "You know I want to be a huntsman. I can fight, I want to travel too, instead of being imprisoned here."

"Lake, we've been through this before. Your fighting skills are only that of a beginner's. You'd serve better as the CEO or financial manager."

"But dad."

"Hikari Akiro! I've had enough of this…phase. Go to bed now, I don't want to hear about this in the morning," I shrank under his hand when he ruffled my hair. He followed me upstairs and waited before I opened my bedroom door, "I love you, son. Just know that."

"Yeah, yeah," I had heard it before. I shut the door behind me and turned on the lights. I collapsed on the bed, holding my weapon in one hand, and used the other to point at the different maps and various images of the ocean and mountains, all of which were stuck to my ceiling and walls. My eyes focused on _Skyfall's Flame_ , and I ignited the lighter. The spark violently erupted, nearly incinerating the maps in my bedroom, but I wrapped the flame around my fingers simply amused by the dancing orange. I suddenly remembered my father's words and burned a swirl into my forearm along with a magazine on my nightstand.

I shrieked in pain and opened a water bottle from under my bed, pouring the liquid over the kindling. The magazine fell into the garbage bin, already extinguished, but I prayed that the smoke alarm would not activate. Loud beeps echoed through the room and I groaned in distaste.

I counted to three until mother screamed down the hall, "Hikari Lake Akiro!"

"I put it out already cancel the," I felt cold drops on my neck, "damn sprinklers."

Father shut the showerheads off as soon as they turned on, and called me downstairs. I waited for mom to join in the scolding, but she did not arrive in the living room.

"Son," the disappointment in his voice shot through my heart, "give me the weapon."

"I swear I won't do it again!" I hid the marble handle behind my back, "Please."

"No, this isn't the first time. Give it to me," his voice became sterner, "I'm not going to ask again. It isn't permanent, I hope you know that."

"Fine," I pushed it hard into his chest and stormed into my bedroom. Inside, I summoned every ounce of water off of the floor and from the sheets, and threw it at the doorframe. It crystalized shut when I hid my eyes behind my palms and collapsed on the bed. I screamed into the pillow until I fell asleep, and woke up in a cold sweat.

"Hey Mizumi, breakfast is downstairs," mother knocked and struggled to open the door, "Mizumi why is the door wet?"

I did not verbally reply, and transferred the water through the window. I felt her eyes set on the back of my head, and resisted turning to them. She sat on the edge of the bed, but disappeared the second I turned my back at her.


	5. Orientation Pt 1

**Orientation Pt. 1**

Commotion rattled the hall as the endless sounds of clicking and zipping and opening of lockers rang rampant. Roxo, on the other hand, was already completely dressed, and nearly finished at that. In front of the locker, his hands shook as he looped his bow tie. Seeing as the others were still asleep or flirting with one another, he took the time to account for himself. Having finished his tie, he grabbed two black, laced loafers from the storage and shut the door.

"Over, under, pull it tight. And make a bow, pull through to do it…right," the purple haired fellow muttered as he laced one shoe. He frowned at the resulting looseness around his foot. "Where's dad when you need him?"

Aside him, a certain blue haired boy watched out of the corner of his eye as he zipped up his jacket.

"Need help?" The stranger's voice startled Roxo.

His face reddened and became hot, "I-I'm not a child. But, y-yeah, I do need help."

"Don't worry about it, I won't judge," he leaned over Roxo's foot and easily fixed the knot, "Aren't you that blind kid?"

"Ye-Yeah," he awaited the insults and bit his lip.

"Cool. My name is Hikari, but call me Lake," he reached out a hand, but realized Roxo couldn't detect it.

"O-Oh, well its nice to meet you Mister Lake. I'm Roxo," he searched the air for Lake's hand, and wrapped every gloved finger around it, "Roxo Grimmsickle."

"I-I should," Roxo faced down at the floor, "get going now."

"Wait." Lake stumbled to slide into his shoes, "Do you mind if I come with you? I haven't really met anyone yet, so I wouldn't want to be alone."

"Uhm, uh o-of course." Roxo quietly tapped his foot and figured out the structure of the building, "let's go this way."

"Uh, that's the door."

"R-Right." Roxo felt a rush of blood in his cheeks and around his neck.

* * *

"Teal!" Magnolia shook her snoring brother, glaring at the other leaving initiates, "I swear I will leave you if you don't get up!"

"Gimme five more minutes." He whined and turned over.

"Bye then." Magnolia got up from her crouching position and headed towards the door, "I guess you don't want to become a huntsman."

"What?" He shot up and beat her to the door.

"Pants. You need pants to become a huntsman, Teal."

"Dammit, just give me five minutes. Don't time me!" He swung open a locker and stripped off his pajamas and threw them inside. He peaked around the corner every now and then to see if Magnolia had left.

"Five." She counted, "Four."

"Okay! I get it." He rushed towards her, hopping with one foot in his skinny jeans.

"We're going to be late because of you." She began to jog towards the other students, "Hurry Teal!"

"I'm coming! Geez slow down would you?"

* * *

"How are you today, my future students?" Ozpin stood in front of the platforms we stood on. Everyone exchanged looks until he walked around to the initiate at the edge and walked down the aisle.

"I hope you've a landing strategy," he sipped his coffee and nodded at Glynda, "Don't hesitate to destroy everything in your path. If you do not, you will die."

"And?" Roxo inquired louder than he meant to, and covered his mouth.

"I don't make mistakes Mister Grimmsickle, let alone lie to my students."

"So, each of you will be assigned a team. Today. Starting off with a partner who you will work with for every year you are here." Glynda swiped back and forth on the tablet she held.

"On that topic, I suggest you find someone you can work well with. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner indefinitely. At the end of this forest, you will come across a temple as well, and you are required to grab one of the relics available."

There was a moment of long silence. I reached behind my back and held onto the staff of my weapon, clutching it tight.

"With that, are there any questions?" He sipped his coffee again and did not await a response, "Good. Prepare yourselves."

"Wait what?" Roxo felt the platforms spring someone into the air, as well as hear the joyful scream of the girl who left. Out of fear, he activated his scythe and the blade burst into full size. He felt the metal tile click under his feet and hugged the staff as if it were a pole. His screams filled the air as he flew away.

"Oh my," Teal marveled at the boy as his figured diminished in the distance, "Looks like fun."

"He'll be alright." Lake crouched and jumped in time with the catapult. Teal glanced at his sister, bowed and then flew away.

"Oh whatever Teal." Magnolia snickered and flew after him.

"Interesting group this year don't you think?" Ozpin watched as everyone fell into the trees.

* * *

~Roxo~

Roxo screamed until he could echolocate the forest below him. His blades sliced in between two branches and he effectively slowed down until he hung between two branches. The teen began kicking frantically trying to touch the ground. Roxo bounced up and down until the branches snapped and he quaked the ground under his feet.

"Ten?" Roxo gasped, shifting his feet, "There are ten beowolves nearby. And…what's this?"

Slow waves bounced in every direction, snaking through the grass and up into a tree.

"A taijitu!" Roxo cartwheeled backwards on the tip of his staff. The serpent lunged down at him and slammed into the ground where he previously stood. The scythe wielder slid his hand further up on the hilt and anticipated its next strike. Roxo built pressure under his feet and launched himself into the air when the serpent lunged. He caught it just between the blade and the staff of his weapon and crashed into a tree. The impact in the trunk of the tree rattled all through the canopy, causing tiny Nevermores to fly away. With a flick of his wrist, Roxo cranked a lever and closed the scythe around the Grimm's neck. He softened the ground below him as he fell, and caused huge spires to erupt around him when he landed. Grimm's blood stuck to his blade and part of his gloves, and the once low growls gradual became louder.

* * *

~Lake~

Lake removed his hilt from the container on his back, and froze the water that was inside into the shape of a parachute. They yanked on his shoulders as he sank slowly into the foliage. A stream of high notes on a guitar caused it to shake as he entered, and vibrated it to the point of shattering. Lake plunged through the branches, covering his eyes as branched slashed at his cheeks.

"Whoa," he struggled to stay upright in the air. He manipulated the ice around him into water and clung to a thicker branch. Lake grasped onto it until he was barely inches from the ground.

"We're fine, we're just okay," He said in heavy breaths before heading in one direction; forward. An eerie song rang though the forest as well, seemingly coming from every direction, as well as a powerful gust of wind and a thundering quake.

A low rustle sounded in the trees, causing Lake to increase his pace. A flurry of feathers flew his way from the thickness of the trees. Barely reacting on time, Lake froze a wall in front of him, catching a razor sharp quill just before his eyes. He formed the ice into a kite shield around his forearm and ignited his weapon. The tiny spark erupted into a long, nearly solid flame. The Nevermore sped down toward him, only to be eviscerated by Lake's fiery sword. A pair of Ursai (Ursas?) announced their presence from behind the trees, howling towards the heavens.

"Already?" Lake murmured and thickened his shield. The Ursai stood on both sides of Lake and dug their claws into the ground. Lake tightened his grip and switched weapons, now having a long spear of ice. He held it low to the ground as he charged towards the Grimm.

"And!" He shoved it through the area where its heart should be. The spear stuck inside the monster, not phasing it at all, "Huh?"

The bear-like Grimm swatted at him like a gnat, and the ice shattered inside of its torso. His weapon was knocked out of the way at the same time. The other Grimm sprinted his way and Lake slid underneath its body. Ice frayed like a porcupine through its back, and flew into the sky. The grimm collapsed over him and disintegrated in black dust.

* * *

~Teal~

"Woohoo!" Teal swung his guitar-axe around and began to slowly play. Gradually, he heightened his pace until he shredded every fret on his neon strings until his forearms cramped. With one more powerful strike, he slammed his axe into a tree trunk and shimmied down to the ground.

"Aww, only griffins? Too easy." The blade of his guitar became a hilt, and the neck flattened into a sharp blade. He changed his stance and used his free hand to taunt the Grimm. The black, Pegasus like monster flew into Teal's blade with a dissonant chord. The sound rattled the trees and caused the other grimm to cower in pain.

"Like that?" He taunted again, and the axe turned into a wide hilt. The neck of the guitar flattened into a sharp blade. Teal held the sword with two hands, and sent a sharp wave towards the oncoming monsters. The wave cut right through the grimm's wing. He leaped into the air and slammed the blade right through the body and into the ground. The remaining two flew at him from both sides, and spun him wildly. Teal ducked under their next attack and stabbed through the belly of another. The griffin was caught on Teal's blade and dissipated into the air.

"Get back here you!" Teal threw the sword right into the griffin's back, and it landed with a twang in the tree, "Perfect!"

* * *

~Magnolia~

"So glad I lost the blades on these things," She slammed her new brass knuckles together, causing a rush of cold air around her. The metal became a light blue color in response to the frozen Dust. Magnolia built pressure in her fists and threw a heavy amount of wind into the distance in behind of her. She encased her hands in ice ands jabbed them into the tree, sliding down the trunk into the ground.

"Whew! That was a close one." She wiped the sparkling blue dust off of her blouse and skirt, "Awe great. It's in my boots!"

Magnolia unlatched her right shoe and shook it clean. She abruptly stopped when growls sounded around her and knocked her fists together again, changing the knuckles to a shiny gold. An extremely large Ursa loomed over her, as tall as the trees around her and twice as armored.

"Oh my," She ducked under its first strike and ran up its arm. The rockets in her shoes clicked and sped her somersault. Both feet landed hard on the grimm's head and her fists followed, thundering out into the forest. The Ursa clapped just before Magnolia could touch the ground, trapping her between its claws.

"Not," She extended her rock-hard knuckles outward, "today!" Magnolia's hands glowed a faint green and her rosy hair fell into her eyes. She punched into the ground and sent spires of rock into the monster. "Piece of cake."

With a sigh, Magnolia stretched her arms and cracked her wrists and locked joints. A large tremor shook her stance as well as an ear-piercing shriek.


	6. Orientation Pt 2

**Orientation Pt. 2**

~Roxo~

In the center of a clearing, Roxo stood still to examine the surrounding grimm. He feared his heart was going to burst right through his shirt and vest, and it would stain right through the purple silk, and polyester button-up with blood. _The grimm are attracted to negativity, remember that._

To calm down, he looked down at the settling lavender of his gloves, and straightened out his bow tie. The grimm roared around him and chased after him.

"Beowolves!" He shouted, and leaped over one. The two grimm underneath him collided and stuck together.

Roxo turned in mid-air, and cleanly cleaved through the both of them. When they disappeared, Roxo trembled and stared at the remaining eight grimm. They growled intently back at him, and an individual finally chased after him. Roxo twirled around it and sliced through it again, but lost balance and fell into the impact of another. The grimm threw him into a tree and caused him to drop his scythe.

"Owwie!" He rubbed his shoulder and got to his feet. The _Grimmsickle_ was in the center of the growling monsters, "Oh no…"

Three grimm charged toward him, to which Roxo responded by shielding himself, spending a spire of hard rock through two of them. One grimm, however, was able to knock him off his feet again. The last one though was sent flying with a burst of lightning. Peach colored hair and a short-sleeved jacket appeared in front of him. Magnolia stood in front of him, clad in white wedges and small denim shorts and a shirt that exposed a bit of her stomach.

"Th-Thanks." Roxo took her hand and stood up.

"Let's get out of here!" She shouted and dragged him away from the grimm. The ran around a cluster of trees until they were a safe distance from the grimm.

"Are you alright?" Roxo asked and leaned against a tree to catch his breath.

"Yes," Magnolia clutched her knees and breathed deeply, "and you?"

"Uh-huh." He took a final breath and brushed off his vest.

"Good." Magnolia stretched her arms, "Now let's find those artifacts."

~Lake~

Atop a large hill, Lake collected water from a crowd of bushes when an extremely large beowolf leaped up the hill. It roared in his face and caused him to stumble backwards.

"Get back here!" Another figure sunk its axe into the grimm. After the grimm disappeared, it was revealed to be a boy, with tan skin and bright red eyes and slick metallic hair. A skintight shirt, leather jacket and pants lined with neon stood in front of Lake. Lake couldn't help but stare as he swung his axe over his shoulder.

"Hey…oh." Teal beamed, and then snickered, "You're not Magnolia."

"Hi. I'm Hikari, actually." He replied.

"Nice, I'm—

"Teal?" Lake interrupted, "Sorry, I remember names really easily."

"No, no worries. I was just…on my way."

"I guess we both are then."

"I guess we are," Teal glanced around the hill, "Nice view up here. Let's go this way."

He spun on his heel and bounded down the hill. Lake followed, in more organized and careful steps. When Lake was halfway down, Teal shouted from the bottom, but Lake was too busy wiping away tree sap and twigs from the many pockets of his jacket.

"Ouch! God these branches," Lake brushed away sharp sticks from his bottom and thighs, "Ugh my shoes!"

"Oh my god! Your shoes?!" Teal mockingly complained, "Come on! Let me carry you since you _so_ can't walk in those."

"Hey! What gives? We've barely even met." Lake fired back.

"I'm just teasing man," Teal leaned on Lake's shoulder, "you're pretty short for a seventeen year old aren't you?"

"I'm average height." He elbowed teal in the ribs, "Go back to leading the way why don't you?"

"You're no fun." Teal cut through a few branches with his sword.

"I can be fun." Lake followed and stumbled over a root.

"Watch your step." Teal joked, "And try me."

"Try you?" Lake tripped again, but grabbed onto Teal's shoulders and they both fell.

"Not literally." Teal pushed off the ground, "Are you okay at least?"

"Yes." Lake brushed off his jacket, "So what do you want me to do? Tell you a joke?"

"Yeah, no shit." Teal chuckled and cut into a clearing.

"Watch your language," Lake scolded, "give me a minute to think of one."

"M'kay. I'm timing you."

"Like you can keep track of time that exact."

"Actually," Teal snickered, "I can, as a musician, I don't miss a beat."

"Mhmm."

Lake quietly followed Teal, who casually walked with his arms behind his head. We circled around a large hill and found an even larger stone temple.

"Whoa. This must be it." Lake peered at the oddly shaped pedestals, and the tiny instruments on top. He took the miniature microphone. Behind him, Teal picked up the golden guitar pick and put it in a case on his keychain.

"Your minute's up." Teal pointed his sword at Lake, "A joke or you're really no fun."

"I accept your challenge, Mister Teal." Lake mockingly bowed and cleared his throat, "A friend of mine tried to annoy me with bird puns, but I realized that toucan play at that game."

Teal stared blankly, and walked away aimlessly.

"Where are you going? That was a good one." Lake shouted and ran after him.

"That was the worst pun I've ever heard," Teal's eyes watered, "I love it."

"You scared the crap out of me. I really hope you're not this sarcastic all the time." Lake sighed at sat on a rock.

"Well, you're out of luck." Teal sat behind him, "Cause I'm just the guy."

"Oh god." Lake breathed heavy. At the edge of the clearing, dust kicked up in the forest and two unrecognizable figures sprinted out of the forest. They were followed by six large beowolves and a deathstalker.

"Teal! We'd appreciate some help." Magnolia screamed and somersaulted underneath one of the grimm's attacks.

"P-Please!" Roxo shouted and spun around, his scythe cut through two of the grimm when he abruptly stopped.

"Sorry sis. Can't hear ya!" Teal shouted back and waved. Lake ran in and joined Roxo's side.

"This is not the time!" Magnolia held a grimm's fists against hers and pushed away, she lunged for its center and punched it hard. A burst of wind erupted from her knuckles and sent the grimm flying for miles.

"Listen to your older sister Teal!" Lake taunted.

"HEY! I'M THE OLDER TWIN." Teal slammed his axe into the ground and propelled himself over the deathstalker. His axe smashed into the monster's skull and he stood on the head, strumming hard and pushing the blade deeper. Roxo swung his scythe wildly, using the blades on either side to hoist himself between two pillars. He clicked a trigger on the staff and fired the harpoon at the end into the enemy. The hook dug between its eyes and tugged Roxo after it. Across from Lake, Magnolia was knocked over by a pillar. He threw a spiral of ice through the grimm's neck, then ran to aid Magnolia.

"I got it!" Magnolia's eyes burned furiously and she smashed both fists into its head. Lake was dazed and swatted into a boulder. Before he could be struck again, Magnolia appeared and caught the attack.

"You're welcome." She grunted and punched it with such power that it shook the ground beneath her. In the distance, Roxo stood aside the scorpion and jammed his scythe between its armor and its skin. Teal leaped off and struck his guitar, adding more power to Roxo's strike. The _Grimmsickle_ powered through each of its legs, filling the air with a horrifically loud screech.

"Get out of the way!" Another voice shouted from above.

"Lilac?" Magnolia rushed to Teal and Roxo's side, followed by a disoriented Lake.

"It's me." She slammed the end of her spear into the grimm's head. When the spear drilled its way into the monster, she squeezed a trigger at the base. A cluster of bullets flew through its body and propelled Lilac into the air. The deathstalker's body disappeared and she stood, proud as ever. She beamed beautifully, with her lengthy lavender hair in the wind as she stood prominently over the corpse. The goggles on her forehead shined, and an aviator jacket was tied around her waist. She blocked the sun from her eyes as she looked down at the others.

Out of the grass aside her, a boy, dressed in odd shades of black and gray, stumbled into view. His hair was gray with specks of black, as if there was soot covered in it. A sleeveless, gray martial arts gi wrapped his frame, and armor covered his forearms and knuckles. His jeans were ripped, and the skinny cuffs tucked into his sneakers.

"There you are—he trotted to her side; out of breath—don't run off like that again, I can't find you when you do that."

"I'm fine Tungsten, you worry too much." She smiled and glanced at Teal, Roxo, Magnolia and Lake, "Awe, you guys beat us here."

"We sure did." Magnolia chuckled and strolled toward the pedestals, "Are these the artifacts?"

"Yeah, Teal and I took one already." Lake held up the microphone.

"They're so cute." Lilac dashed around each one, eventually choosing the silver pen, and her cousin took the toy building block. Roxo picked up the tiny violin next to Magnolia, and she took a lone piano key. Two trinkets remained, however, and two initiates were still not in the area.

"Who's missing? There are only six of us." Lake said and counted heads.

"I don't know, but they're another pair of twins," Lilac glanced at Magnolia, "Identical twins."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Magnolia and Teal said in unison.

"Nothing just—Lilac was interrupted when Roxo dropped his scythe into the ground.

"What was that for?" Lilac stumbled with the tremor he caused.

"They're not far." He said and pointed in a direction, "A couple of, uh, hundred yards south of here."

"How can you see that far if you're blind?" Lilac questioned and waved in his face.

"Lilac! That's rude." Tungsten reprimanded.

"What? It's a valid question." Lilac retorted and stepped up to him, "I bet you would have asked the same thing."

"Uh-uhm." Roxo flushed, "Well, it's pretty complicated, actually."

"He has seismic sense. Really potent seismic sense actually." Magnolia pried Lilac away from her cousin, "Stop it, both of you."

Lilac sighed and pouted under Magnolia's grip, "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

He paused, "I-I'm Roxo, you didn't have to apologize. I'm sure you didn't mean to offend."

"See? Wasn't that hard was it?" Magnolia crossed her arms.

"See! I told you we should have separated." An overly concerned voice cried in the distance. Roxo and Magnolia turned to the sound, trying to find the source over Teal and Lake's roughhousing.

"Yeah, whatever. I actually got us here." Two figures appeared out of the air. They each stood at a pedestal, on opposite ends of the clearing. Roxo paused to adjust his footing, and everyone quickly turned to find them. Each twin looked like the opposite of the other, Vermillion's hair was black with a blonde streak, while his sister, Saffron, was completely reversed. Their outfits were both black and white. Saffron wore a white button up with a black handkerchief around her neck, and Vermillion had a black shirt and pants with a white tie.

Everyone stared blankly at them, completely silent. Even Teal and Lake, who had each other in a chokehold, were gazing their way.

"What did we miss?" Vermillion stared back.

Magnolia stood hipshot, "You're late."


	7. Weapons Index I

**Weapon Index I.**

CLASSIFIED BEACON FILES

AUTHORIZED ACCESS ONLY

 **Team: TRML**

 **Weapon Title:** _Vegas Neon_

 **Owner:** Ciel, Teal

 **Description:**

A considerably sharp, black-steel guitar lined with red and blue neon around the edges, and glowing strings. Advanced mechanisms inside of the weapon allow it to transform between an axe, a sword, and a normal guitar. In axe form, the neck thickens into a proper staff, and the body flattens sharply. In sword form, the body thickens and splits apart, and a part extends into a handle. Both the neck and the strings flatten into a piercing blade. And the guitar form is just as functional, and strings never snap or require replacement.

 **Weapon Title:** _The Grimmsickle_

 **Owner:** Grimmsickle, Roxo

 **Description:**

An extremely large, durable pickaxe-scythe that is composed of four main parts: blades, staff, harpoon, and folding mechanisms. There are two serrated blades on each side, each are sharp enough to cleanly cleave through concrete. It is extremely heavy, and requires professional use. The staff is nine feet in length, and the material it is made of is stiff enough that it doesn't bend or break when held from one end. On the end, in between the blades, is a harpoon, and the chain is compressed inside of the entire weapon. It is capable of reaching twenty feet in length and carrying one ton in weight. There are also mechanisms connecting the blades and the staff that allows it to snap shut. It is an effective guillotine for Grimm.

 **Weapon Title:** _The Champion's Knuckles and Greaves_

 **Owner:** Ciel, Magnolia

 **Description:**

A pair of brass knuckles lined with thick leather and compacted with Dust. The original design consisted two blades, both of which are no longer connected or used. In their place, though, are pressurized containers on each knuckle and fore knuckle, filled with a variety of Dust. They are extremely flexible, and the pressure allows for thousands of grams of Dust to fit inside. A pair of boots also complete the set. Both of which have compact gunpowder and fire Dust inside, allowing for propulsion and short flight.

 **Weapon Title:** _Skyfall's Flame_

 **Owner:** Hikari-Akiro, Lake

 **Description:**

An ancient Greek styled marble handle. A shiny gem decorates the bottom of the device, and changes color with temperature. On top, where a blade would be, is a lighter, and the handle also functions as a semi-automatic pistol. With the weapon also comes a wheel with fire, water, and ice Dust. It makes use of pyrokinetic and hydrokinetic semblances.

 **Team: LTVS**

 **Weapon Title:** _The Honeycomb_

 **Owner:** Abernathy, Lilac

 **Description:**

A long, titanium spear capable of two functions, a spear and a pike. In the spear form, the point at the end is extremely large, porous, and segmented. Each small hole on the point is a barrel used for shotgun blasts and automatic fire, and the segments are able to spin like a drill. In pike form, the spear point extends around the rest of the staff. Though it is extremely slow, it is impervious to most damage and tremendously powerful.

 **Weapon Title:** _Katayanagi Twins_

 **Owner:** Abernathy, Tungsten

 **Description:**

Twin hook swords able to transform into grappling hooks and pistols. In sword form, there are handles on the hilt that allow the hooks to extend. Both swords can lock together by the hooks as well. The metal is a special type of grey steel, and are extremely lightweight, but still as durable as any other weapon.

 **Weapon Title:** _Twinning_

 **Owner:** Rye, Vermillion

 **Description:**

An enormous, gold and white gold shield. Its immense size can cover a whole team, and can split into halves, force enemies vast distances away by the use of springs and steam, and is nearly indestructible. Its size, however, is only matched by its weight, and requires a tremendous amount of time to move around. Despite this, it carries the ultimate defense. In later upgrades, it was changed so that it was able to shrink into a standard size or transform into armor.

 **Weapon Title:** _Winning_

 **Owner:** Rye, Saffron

 **Description:**

A heavenly-looking, golden long sword to match the _Twinning_ shield, and equally as heavy. It is as large as the _Vegas Neon_ and can split into shorter swords, or a long sniper-rifle. In the short sword form, it is simply the entire sword, divided into two halves. The sniper-rifle form combines the use of gunpowder and fire Dust to allow bullets to travel at terminal velocity.


	8. The Team & Their First Day

**The Team & Their First Day**

"Now announcing," Ozpin paused to allow the screen above him to catch up with him, "Team Lotus! Led by Lilac Abernathy."

Four portraits appeared on the screen: Lilac, Tungsten, the twin brother Vermillion, and his sister, Saffron. Lilac rushed to the stage, smiling, but in utter disbelief. They each stood by each other on the stage until Ozpin dismissed them.

"And last but not least, Team Tourmaline!" Ozpin said enthusiastically, "Led by Teal Ciel!"

Everyone clapped, and four other portraits appeared: Teal's, Roxo's, Magnolia's, and Lake's pictures. Their leader stepped up first carrying a similar expression to Lilac's. But he seemed more aware, like he knew he'd be leader. The four each stood by each other proudly until Ozpin waved at them to sit back down. He then dismissed them, and sent them to find their dorms.

"I guess I expected this to be our team." Magnolia said, elbowing Roxo playfully.

"Well…I suppose I did too," he replied with a chuckle. The four kept walking until they were outside and followed the other students to another building.

"So!" Teal stopped abruptly, not giving Roxo enough time to react. Roxo was enormous in height compared to Teal, and was about to crush him under his weight.

"Whoa," Roxo tripped over him, but quickly regained himself and towered over him again, "my bad."

Teal cleared his throat and tried to put his arm on Roxo's shoulder, "You're too tall for me to do this," he leaned on Lake's instead, "My first command as leader is, to go check out our dorm!"

"We're already supposed to do that," Lake snickered.

"Good," Teal replied, "you're one step ahead of me, my dear."

"Don't call me that." Lake punched Teal in the arm.

"Why not?" Teal pushed back, and they began to childishly argue. Roxo and Magnolia walked slower than them, amused at the boys in front of them. Farther in front of them, Lilac waved to Magnolia and Roxo. Only Magnolia waved back. Lilac urged her to try to make Roxo reply, but Magnolia had to remind her that he was blind.

"Roxo?" Magnolia finally said after Lilac pouted her lips at her.

"Yes?" He replied in a deep, stoic voice.

"Do you mind waving that way," She took his hand and pointed towards team LTVS, "it's just Lilac."

"Oh," Roxo jumped slightly, "you've already got my hand so I might as well."

He slowly waved his hand side-to side in reply to Lilac, who smiled widely, and Magnolia giggled at the sight. Roxo began to wander in another direction, and Magnolia had to pull him closer to her. Teal and Lake still paid no attention to them, and continued to chat with no remorse, or filter for that matter.

"Where you going?" She teased.

"I don't know where those two are going," Roxo gestured to Teal and Roxo, "Our dorms are this way, everyone else's are that way."

"Oh god," Magnolia stared at the two boys, still nonchalantly strolling, "it's a good thing you actually listened to Ozpin at the end."

"Thank you?" Roxo shot her a mixed look, and continued down the path, "You're not gonna stop them are you?"

"Nope." Magnolia replied, "It'll be a good test of leadership don't you think?"

"I-I, no comment." Roxo jogged up to the porch of the dormitory and opened the door for Magnolia.

"Aww," She cooed, "what a gentleman."

" _Ha, ha_." Roxo forced a laugh, "You're _so_ funny."

"Yeah I am. We're on the third floor."

"It's a bad time to tell you that there aren't any elevators in this building."

"Why?" Magnolia whined and followed Roxo to the stairs. By the second flight, both of them were out of breath and practically crawling up the last steps. Luckily, their room was right by the staircase. "Ah, this is it. Our new home for the next, what is it, four years."

"Cool, the beds are set up already." Roxo was ecstatic at the sight, err feeling actually, of the bunk beds in front of him. He excitedly ran up towards the window, and kicked the corner of the wood. Roxo doubled over and winced, "Ouchie!"

Magnolia laughed hysterically and collapsed on the bed, watching as he pulled himself up from the floor. "What time is it?" She yawned.

"I can't tell time rem—

She glanced at her wristwatch, "Oops. It's ten thirty p.m."

"How long do you think it'll take your brother to find us?"

"We'll find out in the morning." Magnolia kicked her shoes off, stuffing them underneath her. She lied quietly in the bed, completely sprawled out on the bottom bunk. Across from her, Roxo stripped off his pants and vest and hugged his pillow.

"Gross, dude." Magnolia snorted, "Pull the covers over at least."

"What?" Roxo called, not even facing her, "Fine, I'll put them back on. I'm all insecure now."

"Whatever, I'm not gonna force you," Magnolia turned away from him, "Just…whatever floats your boat."

A moment of awkward silence followed, and a small giggle from Roxo, "Go to sleep."

The next morning, Lake was roughly awakened to the harsh aroma of deodorant and potently scented shampoo. Steam crept across the corridor's floor and across the hall into their room.

"Oh my god. What is that smell?" Lake climbed off of the top bunk and woke up Magnolia.

"What are you talking about?" She groggily replied, "Oh right...Teal! Is all that shampoo necessary _right_ now."

" _Yes_ it _is_ , Magnolia!" He shouted in response, "Crap. I forgot a towel."

"I swear!" Lake shouted and scrambled for the towel he forgot, "DO NOT COME IN HERE!"

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Magnolia scrambled, and fell at Roxo's feet.

"Good morning." He mumbled and pulled her up.

"Too late." Teal strolled into the dorm, soaking wet and nude. Both Magnolia and Lake received an eyeful, while Roxo stood, happily dressed in his uniform and not scarred by the sight. Teal grabbed the towel from Lake, who was frozen in shock, and went right back into the bathroom.

Regaining his composure, Lake turned to Roxo, "What time did you get up, Roxo?"

"Lake…" She whispered in his ear, "He can't tell time remember. Being blind and all."

"Oh, my bad." Lake apologized, "Mind waiting for us, Magnolia and I will probably be, like, five minutes. Not sure about Teal though."

"Of course." Roxo turned around and began to walk to the stairs. With a heavy, ill-sounding slam, he slipped on the water Teal left on the hardwood.

"Crap!" Magnolia and her unfinished braid rushed to his side, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." He slowly picked himself up, "Now, I'll wait for you guys downstairs."

Lake followed him, having hastily dressed into his uniform, which was poorly tucked in and painfully wrinkled. Careful not to slip, he swept the water Roxo tripped over back into the bathroom, all while keeping his movement forward.

Downstairs, Lake was able to correct his wardrobe, and Roxo quietly stood in the doorway.

"Class starts in…" Lake unlocked his Scroll and opened the calendar application, "We've got less than an hour until _breakfast_ opens? How long did we sleep in for?"

"But an hour's long time, right?" Roxo replied, taking a seat on the small bench on the porch, and Lake came beside him.

"Enough time for the other two to get ready."

Roxo slumped, and rested his chin in his hands. Four other voices rambled behind both of them, coming down the stairs. Neither Magnolia nor Teal were a part of this group, and a team of boys noisily walked into the lobby. They were messily dressed, tossing a ball around carelessly and running amok around the courtyard.

"Hey!" One of them shouted at Roxo, who was unintentionally staring at him, "What are you looking at?"

"I'm not looking at anything." He winced back into the chair.

"You better not be staring at me!"

"Leave him alone," Lake sneered, "he's blind."

"I wasn't talking to you." He came back to Roxo, "Interesting, now tell me, how did someone so… _dysfunctional_ get into Beacon."

"Uhm," Roxo stumbled, "uh, I-I, uhm."

"That's what I thought."

Magnolia and Teal eventually followed, and she stood as tall as she could, looking accomplished, and Teal held his head low. The same group of boys must have confronted him earlier.

"Don't let them get to you Teal, if you outdo them in class and you'll—Hey!" She shouted at the guy confronting Lake and Roxo, "We deserve to be here _just_ as much as you do, Ivory!"

"I should've known that you four losers would be together."

"Leave. Us. Alone." Magnolia was practically flaming with anger; the dark pink in her eyes faded into a vivid crimson.

"Or what?"

"Or I will." Another, much more stern and malevolent voice growled.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about—OH! Professor Goodwitch, I didn't see you there?"

"Quit harassing the other students, Ivory." Glynda waved her crop in his face and turned him around.

"Uhm." Magnolia stood still, "Do I—

"No." Glynda continued walking past them, "Well, what are you waiting for? You don't have enough time to goof off."

"Right." Magnolia apologetically pat Teal on the back, and went over to Roxo, "Let's go."

"Y-Yes." His voice quivered in reply, and followed her and Lake to the mess hall. The gang was completely silent, and Lake and Magnolia turned to their partners every so often to say something, but held their tongues. The dining hall was expansive, almost enough that Roxo couldn't feel the entire floor. Everyone's boisterous chatter simmered down once their team entered the hall. Teal decided to lead them to a table, alone in the corner, underneath a tremendous window.

"So…" Lake began to leave his seat to find their meal, "Are you guys okay at least?"

"Yeah," Teal gazed out the window.

"Are you sure?" Lake asked again, as Magnolia stood aside him, "You know what, stay here, I'll get your food."

"It's fine, Lake. I'm not all that hungry."

Magnolia's attention turned back to him, "No, Teal. Lake, get him a soda or something sugary."

"You got it." Lake walked over to a vending machine, conveniently placed by their table.

"Magnolia…" Roxo whispered. Before she could reply, Lilac and her team snuck behind her and plopped in the table right next to them.

"One sec Roxo. Good morning, Lilac." Magnolia greeted them, unenthusiastically.

"Hello," she sang back, and shifted Teal over to sit in front of Roxo, "what's wrong with these two?"

"They're…fine." Magnolia took a seat again, pulling Roxo close to her and apologetically looked at Teal, "We just had an encounter with a possible bully today."

"WHO IS THIS BULLY?" Lilac pounded on the table as soon as Magnolia finished her sentence, "I WILL BREAK HIM FOR HURTING ROXO!"

"Lilac!" Tungsten answered, unamused, "Calm down. Please."

"It's only the first time too, so there's that."

"I hope it's going to be the last, too." Teal slouched, but finding no rest for his back, fell onto the floor.

Magnolia couldn't help but laugh, and came out of her seat to give him a hand, "Not if you embarrass yourself like that."

"Laugh all you want Magnolia." He sneered back and stung his tongue out at her. Magnolia did the same, and pulled him off of the ground.

"Thank you." He brushed his uniform off just as Lake arrived with two sodas. One was empty and the other unopened, Magnolia took the unopened one from his hand and opened it for herself. She took a sip, and set it down in front of Teal.

"Magnolia!" Teal whined suddenly enough to startle Roxo.

"Alright," her stomach audibly grumbled as she stood up, "I need so food ASAP."

"Yeah, I'm getting pretty hungry too." Roxo said, and the others nodded in unison.

"Great, we'll go together." Magnolia turned around to Lilac and Teal, "You two don't mind keeping our table do you?"

"Wait a second," Lilac turned to the lone twin at the table, "Vermil-err Saffron? I don't care, where's the other one?"

"First of all, _I'm_ Vermillion." His expression was mixed, but mostly offended, "And Saffron is in line already."

"Wow. I didn't even notice." Lilac hung her head in confusion, "Whatever. Go ahead Mags."

She had already been long gone before she said that.

"Hey Vermill—He's gone…" When she turned to speak to him, he vanished. Lilac turned to see him at the front of the line already, with Saffron at the serving area. Teal propped his feet up on the length of the seat and rested one elbow on the table, and Lilac rested her chin in her hands, which in turn rested on the table. Within the next ten minutes, Magnolia and the others returned with food, and Teal and Lilac left to get their own.

"So." Magnolia began once they sat down with their food, "How'd your guy's morning go, Lilac?"

"It went well." She answered, "Tungsten fell off of the top bunk. And Vermillion and Saffron, oh my god, they freaked me out when I woke up. For a good five minutes I thought they were one person and I like—

"We weren't even trying to trick her!" Saffron giggled, and Vermillion rolled his eyes. Tungsten seemed to chuckle slightly, and Lake smiled at the conversation. Magnolia glanced at the other two, Teal and Roxo, as if to cheer them up. After all, it's only the first day, of their first semester, of their first year at Beacon. What could go wrong?


	9. First Period!

**First Period**

"C'mon Teal, lighten up." Magnolia teased and handed him a plastic tray, "I brought your food too."

"And for me?" Lilac begged and Magnolia winked at her jokingly, "Ugh, I hate you _so_ much Magnolia."

The rest of the team LTVS appeared when she left to get food. Teal sullenly picked at his food. Magnolia carefully watched him, while Roxo warily waved a fork at his meal, and Lake finished his first plate in a matter of minutes.

When he stood to put his plate away, Lake burped loud enough that Roxo almost jumped out of his seat.

"You call that a burp?" Teal laughed under his breath, and let out a belch himself.

"Excuse you." Magnolia whined with a twang of sarcasm, smacking Teal on the back of the head, "God, you guys have absolutely _no_ class."

"Actually." Lake checked the time on his Scroll, "We do have class, in five minutes."

The two looked at him as if he had three heads, and fumbled their Scrolls to check the time themselves.

"Whoops."

"Wait," Lake glanced around the table, "Where's Lilac and her team?"

Magnolia glanced around the hall and looked up with fear, "They left us."

"We should go then?" Teal shrugged.

The four scrambled to the door soon after wolfing down their breakfast. Frantically rushing outside, none of them knew where they were going.

"Stop, stop." Teal abruptly stopped walking at a bench and opened his Scroll, "We have class with Glynda—he pointed in the direction of the auditorium—that way."

Roxo moved Teal's finger towards the main building, "It's more…that way."

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go." Teal took his hand and broke into a sprint.

"Whoa," Roxo stumbled behind Teal with Lake and Magnolia tumbling after them, "B-Be careful. Teal, please."

"Sorry man." Teal loosened his grip on Roxo's hand, but didn't let go. When they arrived at the foot of the building, little more than two other students were rushing over. All four of the team ran to the porch, and stuck together in the doorway.

"You four are," Miss Goodwitch glanced at her Scroll, "barely on time. Take your seats before I mark you tardy."

"Yes ma'am," they said in unison and sat in a row together. While in their seats, Miss Goodwitch approached him with a special bracelet, white with a small display of an orange bar in her hand. Other students stared at her and whispered among each other when she stopped in front of his seat. A pit formed in Roxo's stomach, hearing several mentions of 'disability' and disheartening assumptions.

"I've already been informed of your disability, Mister Grimmsickle." She said and placed it in front of him on the desk, "And since you will primarily be fighting in this class, you will need to keep track of your aura, so this special wrist band—a not-so-inconspicuous laugh was let out, earning a petrifying stare from Glynda—

She cleared her throat, "The bracelet will vibrate at seventy-five percent of your Aura, fifty, twenty-five, ten, and when it is completely depleted. Any questions?"

"Uh, no questions, thanks," Roxo reached for it and found that Teal's grip was still wrapped around his wrist, "T-Teal."

"Hmm?" He flushed and pulled away, earning a scornful snicker from Magnolia, "Something wrong, little brother?"

"I'm gonna kick your butt, Magnolia," Teal scoffed and stuck his tongue out, "and _I'm_ the older one."

Glynda made her way back to the center of the auditorium-like classroom, "Quiet, class. For today, your class is going to be simple sparring, but in the future, expect insight into proper semblance and aura. As of now, two random students are going to come up here to engage in combat. This will serve as a formal demonstration into my class."

Everyone shifted in the seats, filling the air with wooden creaks. Miss Goodwitch tapped on the display in her hand, and on the screen suspended on the wall, faces reeled and spun on a wheel. On the right side, the reel landed on Roxo's face, and a few moments after, Ivory Lisle's portrait was aside his.

"Today's match will consist of Roxo Grimmsickle and Ivory Lisle," Miss Goodwitch stated, and glanced at Roxo, "but as long as you feel comfortable, Mister Grimmsickle."

Roxo craned his neck up from staring at the desk and nodded, "I—he bit his lip and glanced at Magnolia—of course I'm comfortable."

"Very well. I'll allow you two minutes to prepare yourselves, lockers are down the hall." She pointed past the desks and to a long corridor. Both fighters paced somewhat frantically to change out of uniform and into battle gear. Having to switch shoes, Roxo found himself at another dilemma.

"Ready?" Glynda called, and Ivory headed out of the locker rooms.

"Y-Yeah." Roxo did his best, tying the laces as tight as he could, even if his shoes slipped off of his heel when he walked. On the other side of the court, Ivory stood, clad in marble-colored armor, a bronze shortsword and Roman style shield.

"You have five minutes to fight." Glynda walked in front of the desks, eyeing everyone closely, "Remember, you will be disqualified immediately if you continue to attack when your opponent's Aura depletes."

A counter on the screen above them appeared, and buzzed; _one_ , _two_ , _three!_ Ivory took quick advance and impacted Roxo in a full-body collision, throwing him in the air. Roxo struggled to regain his stance, and fell on the hard wood.

"C'mon Roxo!" Teal cheered and threw his fist in the air.

"No cheering, students." Glynda's reprimanded, still facing forward, but Teal still felt her cold voice aimed at him. Roxo bounded off the wood with a heavy tremor, flying at Ivory face first. He somersaulted in the air and sliced the air. Ivory held his shield in defense, but the angle from Roxo's attack knocked it out of his arm and sent his scythe into the floor. Ivory's jaw dropped in surprise as Roxo dropkicked him. He instantly came back up and socked Roxo in the stomach.

Roxo clenched his jaw and rubbed his nose. He picked up his scythe and twirled it around his body. Ivory slid out of the way and retrieved his shield. Roxo spun and forced his blade against Ivory's barrier, screeching loudly and sending sparks against his armor. Ivory jabbed his sword forward, and Roxo's Aura-bracelet vibrated once. Still pushing against his shield, Roxo shoved it out of the way and slammed the flat part of his blade against Ivory, earning a hard grunt on the floor and a buzz from the display.

Glynda stood between both boys, "Unfortunately, boys and girls, that is all the time we have today. The winner of this match is Mister Grimmsickle, excellent work."

Roxo searched the floor where he tripped Ivory. The other student limped up, and Roxo extended his hand, "Uhm, Ivory."

"What do you want?" He _tsked_ bitterly and shoved past him.

Roxo shrugged and rubbed his shoulder, "Well, I-I just wanted to say, uh, that was a…great match."

"Get out of the way." Ivory said, and kept walking. The rest of team TRML found Roxo at the doorstep, face hot and red.

"Great job man." Lake slapped Roxo on the back and followed Magnolia out. Teal ran ahead of Roxo, and he jogged over to catch up with everyone else.

"Hey." Magnolia put her fists on her hips as they walked, "Youpractically _destroyed_ him, Roxo. Now _that was_ cool."

"I mean, I guess I did." Roxo crossed his arms.

"Uh-huh," Teal stopped at the doorstep of their next classroom to point at his chest and grin, "soon you'll be as great of a fighter as I am."

"Shut up Teal." Lake playfully socked him in the arm, "You couldn't even navigate us to the dorms last night, or kill the spider on the way inside."

"First of all," Teal wagged a finger in Lake's face and strolled inside, "we weren't necessarily _lost_ , simply taking the long route. And that spider was—he put both hands up for comparison—this big."

"Yeah right." Magnolia sneered and sat next to Roxo in the seats closest to the professor's desk. Teal and Lake followed shortly after, as did Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, who rushed around his desk, disheveling the papers and folders around it as he tornadoed past.

"G'morning class." He rambled, took a long swig of coffee and scanned the room, "Ah, Mister Grimmsickle there you are, this class is going to require plenty of note-taking and reading, so I take it you are capable of reading Braille?"

"Braille?" Roxo thought for a second, startled by the sudden question, "Oh right. I don't' think I would be here today if I didn't know, so…yes, I understand it."

"Very good." Doctor Oobleck rummaged behind his desk again and held up a special notebook and textbook. He rushed to the front of his desk again and set the items down, "These special notebooks and textbooks are comprised completely of Braille and embossed paper. To write on the notebook, simply…"

Doctor Oobleck's words soon became endless rambling about the compositions of Roxo's newfound items, questions regarding his disability, and comparing it to the discrimination of Faunus in an effort to make the nonsense pouring out of his mouth at least _seem_ sane. Roxo sank in his seat as the lecture kept on, neck and cheeks red from embarrassment.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Mister Grimmsickle, it's simply an aid to your disability." Doctor Oobleck continued, "Ah, it seems we are out of time. Pupils, I will see you tomorrow."

Roxo crept out of his seat before anyone else in the class, and the rest of TRML waited for him at the doorstep.

"We're gonna go have lunch with Lilac and her team," Magnolia pulled the boy into her arm, "Then we have Peter Port, and the rest of the day to ourselves!"

"I suppose that's nice." Roxo bent over to accommodate to Magnolia's height. They followed everyone to the lunch hall, wandering aimlessly into the rest of their time at Beacon.


	10. Clubs & Hobbies

**Clubs & Hobbies**

"What's this?" Teal stopped them on their way back to the dorms from lunch. He looked at the large electronic bulletin board, avidly scrolling through some of the articles.

"Clubs?" Magnolia leaned in, shoving Teal out of the way, "I didn't think they had this sort of thing here."

"Let me see that." Lake pushed Magnolia out of the way, "Sorry." He cooed at a blue digital sheet, and instantly signed his name on it with a stylus, "Ooh, I know what I'm doing."

"What is it?" Roxo butt in, resting his arm on Lake's shoulder.

"Swimming. You wanna come look at—wait…my bad."

"I'm starting to think you guy do this on purpose now." Roxo joked under his breath. Teal snickered and read some out loud for him.

"So let's see what we have," Teal anxiously spun the stylus between his knuckles, "there's orchestra, painting, and track left."

Roxo thought for a moment, and Teal tapped his foot on the ground, still spinning the pen.

"I like orchestra, actually." Roxo's cheeks flushed a bright red, "But I'm not sure—

"Orchestra!" Magnolia lit up, "I'll do it with you, I play piano."

"Really? I used to play violin when I was younger, so, uh, yeah."

"Are you any good?"

"Uh…yes?"

"How can you read notes though?"

He stammered, "I don't quite know either, it just kinda happens."

Then Magnolia and Roxo signed their names on the board.

"How about you Teal?" Lake leaned against the wall, "There's another sheet actually. You missed it, the Vytal Festival Tournament. Early registration."

Both Teal and Magnolia beamed at those words. They immediately remembered watching them on television every year until now. Teal tinged with happiness and nostalgia.

"No. Way." Teal pulled a wide smile, eyes firing with interest, "This is real? Oh my god, Magnolia!"

"I know, I know." Magnolia grabbed her brother's shoulders, "But calm down, would you, Teal?"

"What is that?" Roxo's question immediately silenced the two.

" _What is the Vytal Festival Tournament_?" Teal chimed, and Lake's expression fell, as he feared Teal's excitement.

"Oh no," Magnolia mumbled, "You _had_ to ask?"

"Well what is—

"The Vytal Festival Tournament is an international festival in Remnant, held every two years. It's where the various cultures of the world are celebrated. Most importantly, they are celebrated with a _Combat Tournament_. I should know, I forced Magnolia to watch it with me every time. And one time we even got to go to one. It was _amazing_."

"Are you done?" Magnolia asked.

"Yes." Teal looked deeper into the paper, "This year it's being held in Atlas."

"Does this mean we're participating?" Lake interjected.

"Hell yeah it does." He scratched 'Team TRML' on the sheet in all capital letters.

"Why don't we figure out our schedules first?" Magnolia pulled up what they signed on the screen, "Meetings for Orchestra will be on Tuesdays and Friday, so Roxo and I will go tomorrow then."

"And swim team try-outs are this evening." Lake read, "We can all go to that."

Teal glanced around at the other wandering students, "We'll hang out in the dorm for a while then we'll head out to your try out."

~Lake~

While Magnolia and Teal changed out of their uniforms, Roxo and Lake were helping each other rabidly search around the room.

"What are you looking for?" Teal said and pulled his signature leather jacket on.

"I'm looking for my competitive shorts. I could've sworn I packed them." Lake was shuffling through the numerous board shorts he kept in a drawer.

"And I'm looking for my violin." Roxo stared blankly into the closet, "It's in there somewhere."

"Let me help you with that." Magnolia reached for the top shelf on the tips of her toes, "Help me out here."

"Thank you, Mags." Roxo chuckled, and reached for it without even stretching, "Here it is."

"Mags?"

"Oh, do you not like nicknames?"

"I like it actually." She grinned. On the other side of the room, Teal was teasing Lake.

Teal laughed, "Competitive shorts? _You_ wear those? It's practically underwear you wear in the water!"

"Yes Teal, that's exactly what these are." He pulled out a pair of silky black jammers from the drawer. Teal squinted at them in disbelief, then lit up.

"Do _all_ the guys haveto wear that?"

"Duh. Have you seen how much regular shorts get in the way of swimming?"

Magnolia smacked Teal upside the head, "Don't even think about it."

Lake snickered loudly, and Roxo scratched his head, "What does he mean?"

"Please don't gawk at every boy you see there, Teal." Magnolia sighed, "You're our team leader."

"Oh, I get it now." Roxo stood by the door with Teal.

"Are we ready to go?" Teal crossed his arms. Magnolia nodded and the three waited for Lake.

All eyes were on him, "Guys. Give me a minute." He slipped into the bathroom to get dressed. He came back out in the same outfit he always wore.

"Roxo." Teal blurted, "Which direction to the pool?"

"That way." He pointed, and Teal led the way.

"You know, it's nice that this school offers this sort of stuff. Besides, what else do they expect us to do here beside train and study?" Magnolia thought out loud.

"Maybe some students need more than fighting to express themselves." Lake replied, unintentionally reminding Roxo of Ivory. When they arrived at the gate of the pool, the sun was still quite warm, but beginning to sink into the horizon. Barely a dozen other people stood at the edge of the pool, ready to dive in.

"Lake?" Teal looked around for him, but he had already stripped his jacket, shirt and outer shorts off to join the rest of them, "So do we just wait here?"

"I-I guess." Roxo shuffled backwards until he found the bleachers. Teal and Magnolia joined him, along with other team members who sat around them watching whoever was in the pool.

Teal watched judiciously, eyes tracking every movement of…the boys, of course.

"Teal," Magnolia snapped him out of his daydream, "you're drooling."

"Am not." Teal scoffed and wiped his chin on the inside of his jacket.

"Sure." Magnolia drawled out, and Roxo was suddenly squished between the twins.

"You guys mind scooting over?" He shifted uncomfortably, and the two obliged. After nearly half-an-hour of swimming back and forth non-stop, the air began to cool, and Lake emerged from the water.

"Teal, you're staring." Magnolia teased.

"You're disgusting Magnolia, that is my _partner_ right there." He grimaced and made a gagging sound, earning a discreet snicker from Roxo and some other students around them.

"Lower your voice a bit would you?" Magnolia said in between giggles.

Teal glanced around, "My bad. I'm sorry."

"What is he doing now?" Roxo whined under his breath, "It's been, like, an hour."

Lake was talking to the coach, and drew the water off of his body. He didn't seem uncomfortable in the compression shorts, nor did he seem fazed by the cold whatsoever. He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. Now he was heading back toward them.

"How'd it go?" Teal slapped him on the shoulder, "I don't know much about swimming, but I think you did well."

"Gosh Teal, I know I'm hot, but being hot isn't what swimming is about." Lake joked and Teal deadpanned, "Just kidding, I'm straight Teal. Straight as a kickboard."

"I have no idea what those even look like."

Roxo crossed his arms, trying to hide the fact that he was cold, "Well? How'd it go?"

"Is that even a question? Of course I did well." He replied and picked his clothes up from the bleachers, "But I also found out that this isn't actually part of the school. It's a club team that uses the pool here."

As they walked back, Roxo replied with, "That's cool," when no one else spoke.

~Roxo & Mags~

After school the following day, Roxo and Magnolia rushed to the dorm to dress out of their uniforms and dash over to the music hall. Meanwhile, Teal and Lake strolled behind them, conversing good-naturedly, though birds and passing students easily distracted Teal.

"Did you grab your violin?" Magnolia shouted from the end of the hall. Roxo held up the case and caught up to her.

"For someone so short, you walk pretty fast." Roxo sighed.

"The audition starts in five minutes. Do you have the violin?"

"Yes, you don't have to shout please."

"Hurry up." She commanded, and dragged him through the streets. Along the way, four other familiar students waved at them.

"Roxo! Magnolia!" Lilac shouted, but Magnolia was hell bent on being on time.

"Uh, Mags." Roxo tapped on her shoulder as she dragged him.

"What?"  
"Lilac." He gestured to where he heard her voice.

Lilac and the rest of team LTVS trotted over to them.

"Are y'all headed to orchestra?" One of the blonds, Saffron, grinned excitedly at them, "So are Vermillion and I!"

"How'd you know?" Roxo nodded.

"Cause you're carrying a violin, silly."

"Nice talking to you guys." Magnolia actively checked her scroll, "But we are running a bit slow, Professor Port would _not_ stop talking."

They sped up their pace, and neared the building. Before Magnolia, Roxo, and the twins headed for the stage, Lilac held up Roxo.

"I just wanted to say," she nervously said, "good luck."

Roxo flushed and smiled, "Uh, thanks."

The maestro called the pair up first, and Magnolia sat at the piano, while Roxo stood aside her with his violin. Though the audition called for a memorized song, Roxo and Magnolia only had two days to practice. Roxo swallowed nervously, but Magnolia called to him.

"Ready?" She half smiled at him, exposing one of her dimples.

"Y-Yeah." He swallowed, and held the instrument up to his chin. He held up the bow and pressed it against the string.

"Alright. One…two…three…four." She counted off and played a measure, Roxo followed in after the second and fell into a harmony. During the middle of their song, Teal stepped outside, and Lake followed, looking concerned. He had been tapping his foot nervously, looking around, fiddling with his fingers.

"Are you alright?" Lake heard applause from inside, and peeked inside to check what had happened.

"Huh?" Teal turned to him, not seeing he was behind, "Oh me? _pssh_ , I'm fine."

"Really?" Lake threw his hands in his pockets, "You're sure?"

"It's just a little too quiet in there, too slow paced for me. That's all."

Lake looked at him intuitively, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"There're plenty of things I haven't told you, but my ADHD shouldn't have to be one." Teal shuddered and sat on a bench.

"I didn't want to assume."

"It's alright. I'll just be out here if you need me."

"Alright."

Lake disappeared back inside. Magnolia and Roxo caught up to him. Now, the twins were on stage. Vermillion had a bass the same size as him, and Saffron was in the middle of sustaining an opera note.

"Where's Teal?" Roxo tilted his head.

"Outside, it's too quiet for him in here."

"I'll go check on him." Magnolia walked outside. Lake sat in his seat, and Roxo sat aside him, beads of sweat on his forehead.

"A singer in the opera? Strange, don't you think?" He watched as the twins' audition.

"No, n-not really," Roxo's lip trembles, but he breathes in deep trying to calm his nerves, "I've seen lots of singers in orchestra before, it's just not traditional."

"Roxo, turn to me." Lake cupped his cheeks and faced him, "It'll be alright, you did great."

"You think so?" He fingered a tear from the corner of his eye, "But I missed a few notes."

"Don't worry about it. You're a prodigy, heck, I can barely read notes and my vision actually works. You're _blind_ and you can read notes, isn't that amazing enough already?"

Roxo wasn't sure whether or not he should be offended or pleased, so he uttered out, "thanks?"

Lilac jumped over the row to sit next to Roxo, "That was amazing Roxo!"

"Please be careful…" Tungsten tinged with worry, and sat next to her, wary of her movements.

Red crept up Roxo's cheeks, "Th-Thanks Lilac."

Magnolia and Teal followed back inside, and Teal shot a cheeky smile at the both of them. They scoot over towards the other side of Lake, and watched the rest of the audition for Saffron and Vermillion.

"You did great Magnolia," Lilac whispered and threw her a thumbs-up.

"Thank you." She mouthed in reply.


	11. Tournament Training & Friendship!

**Tournament Training & Friendship!**

After a hard week of studying and class, the team finally made it to the end of Friday. Team TRML and LTVS trudged into their dorm rooms, and collectively collapsed on the floor.

"Guys?" Teal heaved, his voice muffled by the carpet.

"Yeah?" They replied simultaneously.

"It's finally Friday!" He shot up and bolted across the room, "You know what that means?"

"We have to study for Professor Port's exam next week?" Lake said as they slugged into the room.

"I thought it wasn't until Wednesday." Roxo's voice faltered with concern.

"It is on Wednesday." Magnolia sighed, "Lake, you're like, four days ahead of yourself."

"I like to be prepared."

"What? No." Teal shook his head and put on his signature leather jacket, "We should go into the city. It's the weekend for crying out loud."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Saffron shouted from across the hall.

"Vermillion!" Tungsten reprimanded, and then shut the door.

"I'm _Saffron_ …"

The team paused at the shouts and giggles that came from the other room. Both Vermillion and Saffron lectured Tungsten about their differences, meanwhile Lilac laughed her head off.

"I'm down for it." Lake broke the silence.

"I'll go if you guys go." Roxo agreed.

"It's settled then." Magnolia said.

"Perfect." Teal reached in his pocket and produced a flyer, waving it in front of the others, "And I asked Glynda for permission to practice in the arena later."

"That's a little ambitious, don't you think?"

"If we're gonna win the tournament, don't you think we need to prepare?"

"Eh. Fine by me."

They had a silent agreement, and the four hurried out of their uniforms and the dormitory.

"Wait up!" Lilac and the rest of her team followed behind them. As she caught up with Teal and his group, Tungsten crashed behind her.

"Mind if we join you?" Lilac asked.

"Please." Roxo quickly answered, flushing immediately.

Teal payed no attention to it, chiming back, "The more the merrier!"

They casually walked side-by-side, conversing gleefully. At the gates of the academy, team IRRN saw them from across the path.

"What have we here?" Ivory stepped out of the shadows.

"Seriously dude." Magnolia scoffed, "You literally went out of your way to come over here."

"I just wanted to greet the fellow teams participating in the Tournament this year. Good luck," he winked at Lilac, who turned around and gagged, "you'll need it."

"I bet we'll make it farther into the competition than you will," Lilac scorned and crossed her arms.

"I'll make sure to call you if you do, sweetheart."

"You're repulsive," Magnolia groaned, "Why are you even here?"

"We were just on our way out," he roughly shoved Teal by the shoulder and walked away, "Later losers."

Teal groaned and they continued their walk into the city, "I'll never understand what his deal is."

"I don't know, but we shouldn't let it ruin our day." Lake spoke up and shook Teal by the shoulders, "Alright? We're gonna have fun."

"Right!" Lilac cheered and pat Roxo on the back, "I won't let him lay a finger on you."

"It's nice to know you've got my back." He smirked, red slowly painting his cheeks. Teal stepped forward, leading the eight of them into the city.

"I didn't know you guys signed up for the tournament." He said.

"Well it wouldn't be fair if you four had all the fun." Lilac teased.

"Yeah. We're gonna kick ass and take names in Atlas." Saffron laughed, skipping behind them as they passed by the docks.

"Vermillion, _language_." Tungsten said.

The actual Vermillion shouted at him, "That's Saffron! _I'm_ Vermillion."

Magnolia and Teal sighed at each other. She rolled her eyes at them, "I'm glad we're not like that."

"Really? I think it'd be fun for us to be identical." Teal snickered, to which Lake interjected.

"No that would not be fun for any of us."

"I must be the only one who can tell them apart." Roxo said, receiving a hearty laugh from Lilac.

"Of course you can. Do they have like different 'vibrations' they give off?"

"I really just listen for their voice."

"Oh," she seemed surprised.

"But I do that occasionally. When there isn't a lot of action going on, I can feel heartbeats in the ground."

"What exactly did we come out here to do?" Vermillion scoffed, "We've been walking around out here for longer than we need to."

"We came out here to _talk_ to each other." Lilac butt in, "It beats staying inside on your Scroll all day."

"Ugh, as if."

"You're ridiculous."

As they circled around the city, Teal came across a candy store. He stared in the window ambitiously and shot a pleading glance at his sister.

"No, you'll be bouncing off the walls." She immediately pulled him away, "And it's not good for your ADHD."

"I'll get the sugar-free then."

"Those are even worse," Tungsten said, "They've got other additives that will _definitely_ hurt your stomach. For the sake of your teammates, don't get it."

"Ignore him," Lilac elbowed him softly, "he gets that from my mom."

"Don't say that about auntie, your mom is nice."

"See what I mean?"

Roxo snickered under his breath. Lake shook his head at Tungsten, and caught Lilac making eyes at Roxo. He jokingly nudged her and shot her a funny look.

"What? No, I was looking inside the candy store." She stammered, turning a dark red.

"Whatever you say." Magnolia chimed.

"Geez Magnolia, eavesdrop much?" Lake whined.

"We're literally right next to each other. All eight of us!" Saffron appeared in between them, and reappeared behind them.

"Teal, let's head back now. The arena might still be open for us to practice in." Magnolia said.

"Crap that's right!" Teal gasped, "We gotta go then!"

"Well, we'll be there waiting for you." Vermillion hastily waved to them and leaned on his sister's shoulder.

"Can't you teleport more than one other person?" Lilac asked.

He sighed, "If you insist."

"Yay!" Saffron and Vermillion disappeared into thin air with Lilac and Tungsten.

"They left us." Roxo's jaw dropped.

"Indeed they did." Magnolia replied. She and Teal shared the same, ambitious expression, and the bolted away.

"H-Hey!" Roxo shouted, running after them.

"Real mature, guys!" Lake followed.

* * *

At the doors to the arena, Teal and Magnolia finally stopped, breathing heavily. Roxo and Lake came tumbling over them.

"Thanks a lot you two." Roxo dust away from his vest, and frowned at Teal and Magnolia.

"We've got like, two hours left to practice." Teal rushed inside.

"Alright, we'll see you guys around." Magnolia waved Lilac away and followed Teal inside.

"Mags, we didn't wait here for you just because. We're practicing against you!" Lilac snickered, leaving her friend with a surprised look.

"Oh," she shot a glare at Teal, "I didn't know we were going to have a group practice."

"This is going to be _so_ much fun!" Saffron excitedly jumped inside, along with her brother and Tungsten. Both teams stood opposite each other in the room, in their respective positions. Lilac smiled widely, leaning against her spear. Tungsten unveiled a large butterfly knife attached to his back, dividing it into two hook-swords. Saffron stood behind her brother's shield with a hand on her sword, which was nearly as large as she was.

"Alright fellas!" Teal stood atop a chair in the center of the room, cocking his sword in one hand. Roxo's scythe sprung up behind him, the large blades unraveling from being folded against the staff. Magnolia knocked her fists together, electricity pumping in her veins. And Lake pulled a frozen cutlass from its sheath, holding it in front of him readily.

"Just because you're my _best_ friend's brother, I won't go easy on you, Teal," Lilac giggled.

"Then it is _so_ on!" Teal lunged forward and swung in a wide arc, sending lightning in every direction. Magnolia rolled over his back, immediately running towards Lilac. Tungsten came to intercept her, catching her fists against the flat sides of his swords. But she only pushed harder against him, recoiling him with a burst of fire back into the wall.

"O-Okay we're really doing this!" Roxo shouted as Lake swung him forward by a rope of water. Roxo leaped through the air, swinging his scythe right into Vermillion's shield.

"Get off me!" Vermillion groaned, pushing forward. His shield sprung Roxo into the air, and Saffron sprung after him.

"Way to stay _grounded_ Roxo!" Teal's sword changed into an axe, and he slammed it into Lilac. She guarded with her staff, feet nearly cracking the ground with force. She forced Teal away from her with the point of her spear. He whirled his axe around him and into her guard again. She smirked from behind her weapon, but Teal stepped forward and struck a chord on his guitar, sending Lilac backwards in a shockwave. When she regained her stance, he returned with a rush of attacks in the form of an explosive guitar riff.

"Now that's what I call an _electric_ guitar." Lake shouted, while blocking Saffron's two-ton slice against his cutlass. Roxo soon came crashing in with his scythe, but Saffron and Vermillion quickly switched spots. His blades screeched against the kite shield, sending sparks running against his cheek.

"Lake," Magnolia called and hurried to switch spots with Lake, "take care of him, I'll help Roxo."

"Got it!" He pressed his cutlass in between Tungsten's swords as soon as he countered.

"Hmph." Tungsten whimpered, wrapping his hook-swords around Lake's blade and shattering the ice to pieces, "I apologize for this."

"It's fixable." He mended the ice into water and sent a burst of flame from his hilt. Tungsten stammered backwards, and swung his blades against a makeshift shield Lake created from the water.

"Nice." Tungsten gawked at his ability. Lake snickered and cracked a fiery whip. Meanwhile, Magnolia held onto the chain of Roxo's harpoon, flying into Vermillion's shield. With her fist charged with power, she struck it, powered by the rockets on her wrists, and bursting with an explosion of fire-dust. Vermillion crashed into the ground, and Saffron teleported into his place. Roxo quickly intervened, blocking her sword with his scythe. Magnolia held her fists back, power surging through them every second, and sent it into her chest.

"Vermillion, a little help would be appreciated." Saffron choked out, being thrown into her brother's arms by Magnolia. Roxo faced off with Saffron, going blow for blow with her, while Magnolia used Vermillion's shield as her punching bag. She tensed both of her fists at the same time, and cracked lightning-fast bullet punches against his shield.

"I've got you now!" Lilac jumped over Teal. The tip of her spear whirred like a drill as she threw it at her foe. In a final breath, Teal threw his sword at her, and both weapons met midair, clattering to the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?!" A stern, window-shaking reprimand stopped everyone in their tracks, even making Roxo squeal with fear. Lilac, who was about to finish off Teal, crashed into him from her jump. Lake and Tungsten froze mid-sword-clash, and the twins ducked for cover behind Roxo. Roxo plunged his scythe into the ground, compacting it into its smaller form, and hid it behind Magnolia's back.

"Professor Glynda." Teal waved at her casually, "Fancy seeing you here."

She marched up to the center of the battlefield, repairing the little damage they had caused. Outside, Ozpin passed by the door, sipping coffee. He instinctively kept walking, seeing Glynda about to scold the students.

"Mister Ciel, I said you could use the arena—

"Which is what we are doing…"

— _individually_. I did not give both of your teams clearance," She glanced at Lilac, "Miss Abernathy, I don't recall you requesting to practice here."

She gulped hard, "My apologies, Professor. I'll remember to ask you, _personally_ , next time."

She elbowed Teal in the stomach.

"Sorry Lilac." He murmured in response. Glynda sighed, leaving the team leaders shaken as she stepped out of the room. Outside, she and Ozpin had a chat about what just happened, trailing off along the lines of, "They're still children, Glynda…" and her replying, "but they're supposed to be the future protectors of the world…"

Once they were far enough, the eight of them collectively let out a deep sigh and quietly finished their battle.

Roxo woke up in the team's dorm in a cold sweat, sprawled out on the floor in his boxers. The rest of his team, as well as LTVS in the hall, passed out on the floor.

"Who even won that battle?" He said.

 **A/N: Hello dedicated readers, thanks for making it this far in my fic. If you don't mind, please leave a review and possible a favorite. Or if you _really_ liked this, a follow! Thanks, I appreciate it.**


	12. Lazy Days & Grades

**Lazy Days & Grades**

Roxo nervously gulped and slumped into his chair. Teal propped his feet up on the table, spinning a pen between his fingers, while Magnolia and Lake were the only unfazed ones.

"You guys aren't nervous for the test grades?" Roxo broke out, slamming on the desk.

"No reason to be," Magnolia said, shrugging, "I studied, so I shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"I couldn't even focus, honestly." Teal chuckled light-heartedly, tapping his foot lightly, "I barely even finished it."

"Quiet, please." Glynda walked around their desks, passing out papers, faced down so that the content wasn't visible. Magnolia flipped hers over, an easy A. Lake did the same, a B+. Teal sighed, bitterly dissatisfied with his C, and Roxo hastily ran his fingers over the embossed paper, a passing B grade.

"Thank god," he muttered under his breath.

"What'd you get?" Lake looked at his paper, but obviously couldn't read Braille.

"I got eighty-three percent. I thought I failed that, but I didn't. Thankfully."

"See? Nothing to be afraid of." Magnolia congratulated Roxo and tapped him on the back. Seconds after, they were released by the bell.

Their dorm was empty, save for only Lilac and Teal's teams, so the building was awfully quiet. Once they stepped inside of their room, Teal slumped onto his bunk and flipped on the television.

Magnolia crossed her arms and leaned against his bedpost, "How'd you do on the test?"

"Seventy." He kissed his teeth.

"Teal!" Both her and Lake growled at the same time. Magnolia pressed her hands against her forehead, as if to relieve a headache.

Roxo bolted in from team LTVS's room, "What happened?"

Magnolia and Lake exchanged glances. He said, "I'll deal with your brother."

"Yup." She replied, and took Roxo across the room, "So, what were you doing in Lilac's dorm?"

"N-Nothing…"

"Really?" She pressed, "You know, Lilac is my best friend, so if you're going to lie to me then you've—

"Okay!" He succumbed, "We were playing with her cat."

"Teal, as team leader you've got to take these things more—Lake sneezed loudly—a cat?!"

"Oh god." Teal whined, "Lake's allergic."

Roxo tugged on his collar nervously, "Heh…whoops."

"Whoops indeed." Lake sniffled.

"I think I'm…gonna go across the hall." Roxo crept back into the other dorm.

"Are Tungsten or Vermillion there at least?" Magnolia asked.

"Tungsten is. The twins went out for a coffee run." He replied.

She waved him off, "Go, have at it." Her eyes moved to Teal, "Did Lake give it to you?"

"Yes, yes I know the drill. I just need to, what's it, _focus_ a bit more in class." He slid out of his school jacket, tossing it into the laundry bin across the room.

"He seems to understand." Lake looked pleadingly at Magnolia.

"You're killing me smalls."

Lake shrugged, "Look, Teal, I'll help you study next time."

Teal climbed up to the top bunk and lied there, "A study date?"

"Dude, I'm straight," Lake chuckled, "You knew that…right?"

Teal swallowed hard, "Right."

Magnolia elbowed Lake in the side jokingly, "Totally."

Before he could protest, she was out the door. In the LTVS dorm, Roxo was giggling giddily while cuddling with a cat. The cream colored kitten wrapped its tail around Roxo's arms, and Lilac was barely containing herself, capturing pictures on her Scroll.

"What kind of party is this?" Magnolia chimed in, "And am I invited?"

"Mags, this is Lilac and Tungsten's cat, Cachorro." Roxo said, the word rolled off of his tongue without error.

"Cachorro?" Magnolia chided, looking at Lilac, "You named your cat Cachorro?"

"I think it's ironic." Roxo said, " _Cachorro_ means dog."

Lilac was silent for a moment, and so was Magnolia.

"What?"

"I meant to name him _Churro_! Not _Cachorro_." She said, earning a respectable laugh from Roxo and Magnolia. Down the hall, Saffron and Vermillion appeared at the door. Vermillion held a tray of coffee, while Saffron looked to giddy and excited to even hold still.

Lake squealed from across the hall, "TEAL WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND YOU!"

Vermillion fumbled the beverages in his hands, and Saffron's soul practically fell out of her body.

"I'M TRYING, BUT THIS STUPID CONTROLLER ISN'T WORKING!" Teal shouted back. The sounds of button-mashing and heavy breathing warranted Magnolia's attention, and she walked in on the two up close to the television, playing a horrific video game. Lake was on edge, literally losing his mind at the bedrest, trying to keep up with Teal's apparent terrible gaming skills.

"You guys keep yelling, it better be an actual problem this…time." Roxo came in after Magnolia, still cradling Cachorro in his arms.

"Well…you two seem like you're getting along well." Magnolia chided. "So, try harder on that test next time, Teal?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lake hastily took the controller from Teal's hands, " _water_ under the bridge. Am I right Teal?"

"You're an idiot." Teal replied.

"See! I can be fun."

Roxo rolled his eyes, and wandered back into LTVS's room. Vermillion was staring out of the window, letting the wind blowing through his hair as he leaned against the windowsill.

"Vermillion, what the heck are you doing?" Tungsten cocked an eyebrow.

"What does it look like I'm doing? You just don't understand." He said.

"I just remembered!" Saffron jumped up and down, "Lilac, you and I are supposed to help decorate the hall for the dance next week!" She leaned in close to whisper something, "I think your boyfriend can help us get streamers on the wall.'

Lilac flushed a bright cherry red, "I swear Saffron. He is _not_ even!"

"Well, maybe Mags and I can help," Roxo shrugged, "I mean, not that you don't _need_ help, of course you're capable of working together. I just, uh, I can reach up…high."

Saffron wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, earning a hard elbow from Lilac, "No worries. We need all the help we can get."

Before they walked toward the main hall, Magnolia butt into Lake and Teal's game, "Keep it PG boys."

"Whatever Magnolia." Teal managed to force a _tsk_ loud enough for Magnolia to hear.

"PG?" Roxo asked, "What do you mean 'PG'?"

* * *

Even though the dance was still a week away, the extremely understaffed committee already tore down and rebuilt the hall into an organized mess of various Christmas lights, colorful posters, even a disco ball set in the corner, not yet hung from the ceiling.

"Originally, it was the four of us. But Vermillion and Tungsten decided they were 'too cool' for this, so us girls took over." Lilac sighed, carrying a box of flamboyant LED lights to a column.

"If it's any consolation, uhm, Mags and I are here for you." Roxo said, holding up the lights to hang them, without even needing to stand on his toes.

"Maggie," Saffron pulled her aside, "Let's go."

Magnolia cocked an eyebrow at Saffron, "Why? We just got here."

"Because," she drawled out, "look at those two. I'm 'helping' her out."

Saffron dragged Magnolia back to the dorms without her protest. Lilac only noticed as soon as they scurried away, _Oh great…we're alone together._

"So, uh, Roxo." Lilac gulped hard, watching as he pinned streamers to the walls.

"Yeah Lilac," he called back.

She bit back her original thought, "Could you help me get the disco ball up on the ceiling. Hold the ladder for me."

"Oh." Roxo sighed, _was that disappointment in his voice_ , "Sure. Where is it?"

She guided him over to the large stepladder, and helped him place it down in the center of the room.

"P-Please be careful, Lilac." He held the steps as firmly as he could for her, focusing hard not to let it wobble.

"Almost got it." Lilac said, standing on her toes to attach the disco ball, "There. See, it wasn't too bad."

Roxo wiped a nervous sweat from his forehead, "Not too bad."

Lilac began to descend back down the ladder. When suddenly, "Wh-Whoa!"

She missed a step, and fell with a _thump,_ right into Roxo's arms

 _Sturdy, firm arms,_ Lilac thought.

"U-Uh," Roxo stammered, "a-are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I am." Lilac threw herself out of his arms.

"I told you to be safe, Lilac!" Roxo gasped, holding her face to make sure nothing was bruised.

"I'm fine, Roxo."

A moment of complete silence followed. Lilac nervously looked up at Roxo, while he pondered ways to think of small talk.

"Anyways…Lilac." He began, "Would you, maybe, want to get dinner with me tonight? Just the…two of us?"

Lilac's face burned, and she was lucky Roxo couldn't see the red flushing into her cheeks, "Sure thing."

* * *

 **A/N: I am _so sorry_ about the long wait. I've been so busy with school I haven't had the chance to write too much. I'll make sure to write something special for Halloween. :)**


	13. Halloween Prep

**Halloween Prep.**

It was the middle of October, and Teal and Magnolia wasted no time preparing for Halloween, which were, coincidentally, both of their birthdays. While they were out buying whatever, Roxo carried boxes of decorations to the common room of their dormitory, hanging up small plastic skeletons from the ceiling.

Since he and Lake hadn't a reason to go out, the two of them didn't bother to get dressed. Roxo stood around in pajamas, though he had the decency to wear gym shorts, as opposed to being pantsless. Lake, being upstairs at the time, had even been shirtless for a while, until Roxo convinced him to at least put on a tank-top to keep from getting sick.

But Roxo stopped for a second, feeling for the earth. From the corner of the stairwell, he felt soft steps echo through the ground.

"Lake." Roxo called out, making him trip over a table leg, "You'll have to be a lot softer than that to scare me."

"How are you so easily startled then?" He asked.

"Because I'm not expecting it if you drop something or squeal! I can feel your footsteps, you should know."

Moments after, Lilac and Tungsten slammed open the dorm doors, making Roxo fumble the box in his hands.

"Sorry Roxo." She said, taking off her jacket. Her hair and clothes were soaked from the outside rain, "We got the _stuff_."

Tungsten held up a box of assorted candies, popcorn, and most importantly, horror movies. He eyed Roxo cautiously, and the sheer feeling of his eyes made Roxo gulp hard.

 _Did Lilac tell him about our 'date?'_ He asked himself, recalling their previous night out.

* * *

It wasn't too far of a walk from Beacon into the city, and fortunately for them, no one else seemed to notice Roxo and Lilac were gone. Their goal, however, was a much different thought, for neither one of them knew where they wanted to go. In Lilac's mind, they would go to at least a sit-down restaurant, but in Roxo's mind, their date would simply be pizza from the corner diner. The two walked around aimlessly, making small talk and an occasional joke. Roxo was struggling to keep up a conversation, and Lilac was clearly nervous.

Then they arrived at the corner diner, which was small, but as busy as can be. Roxo held the door open for Lilac, letting her inside first.

"Such a gentleman," Lilac joked.

"For you, madam," Roxo said under his breath, leading them both to a table.

"Quite the place you've taken me to."

"Best in town…or at least I think so."

A waitress came by and quietly dropped off two glasses of water for the both of them.

"So…uhm," Roxo started. "Where are you from?"

"Outskirts of Vale, actually. My family owns a small farm close to Shion." Lilac said, "And you?"

"Here in the city…actually." He pointed out towards the streets and alleyways that lined the city, specifically to the hazy, poorer looking areas, "There."

"I never would've guessed."

Roxo cocked an eyebrow curiously, "Why not?"

"I don't know." Lilac said, "It's just so…rich, I guess, to see you come so far."

Roxo faintly smiled, "I can tell you it wasn't easy."

And so, the conversation went on over pizza and soda. Nothing else really happened that evening, except for the fleeting feeling Roxo was being watched…

[Line Break]

"Roxo?" Lake snapped his fingers, singing, "Roxo, are you there?"

Roxo shook his head back to reality, "Y-Yeah. I'm here."

The first thing he saw were the twins, Saffron and Vermillion, stacked on each other's shoulders trying to hang orange and black lights on the walls. Tungsten's nerves tingled, and he turned to see Saffron leaning dangerously far right on her brother's shoulders.

He instinctively dove in and caught her, "That was a disaster waiting to happen, you two."

Roxo picked up the lights they had dropped, "I think you should just let me…handle these kinds of things."

Saffron and Vermillion both looked up at him as he pinned the lights to the ceiling. Roxo was almost two feet taller than the both of them, their heads barely passing up his shoulders.

"You're like the both of us stacked on each other…" Saffron muttered.

Roxo had no reply, except for, "Okay…"

"Has anyone seen Magnolia and Teal anyways?" Saffron shouted, "If we're gonna watch horror movies together tonight, _all_ of us need to be here."

Vermillion sighed, "Who knows, it is Halloween after all. Something bad could have happened to them."

Lilac snorted across the room, "Something _bad?_ to _Magnolia_? I'm sure she can hold her own. Teal though…I'm not so sure."

"They'll be here soon enough, guys." Lake encouraged. Thunder struck outside, making Roxo shake with fright, "So you'll get startled by a little lightning, Roxo?"

"Well, who isn't afraid of lightning?"

Teal bust in through the front door, "I, on the other hand, am not afraid of lighting."

Magnolia followed at a close second, squeezing ringlets of water out of her hair, "Sorry we're late."

"There you two are. We were almost gonna start without you!" Tungsten scolded, sounding like a concerned mother for her child.

"Yeah, yeah mom. We're here." Teal chided, hanging up his jacket. On his way upstairs, he pat Lake on the shoulder, "You're looking good."

Before Lake could protest, Teal dashed upstairs. He was absolutely shaken, looking red with frustration, and not in a cute, flustered way, Lake even appeared a little sexually frustrated.

"You okay, Lake?" Tungsten asked. "You're just a little—

"I know I'm red." Lake raised his voice, "I'll get you back eventually, Teal!"

Teal's voice was muffled as he pried a purple hoodie over his head, which was twice his size.

"Is that Roxo's sweater?" Lilac discerned.

"What?" Roxo interjected, "Teal, please tell me it isn't."

Teal froze on the spot, "…No."

Roxo rolled his eyes. Magnolia set down an assortment of punch and soda on the counter, quickly slapping a large sign reading, "NOT FOR TEAL!"

"You're too harsh Magnolia," Teal complained.

"Harsh? More like strategic," Lake joked. "It's for your own good really. Better you don't have a lot of sugar."

"Y'all are no fun." Teal threw himself across the sofa, "So, are we starting?"

"Yes, yes. Since you've been incessantly begging." Tungsten dimmed the lights, turning the already dark scene into an artificial night. Lilac and Roxo both sat next to each other on the corner of the sectional, while Lake sat at the edge. Magnolia lied on the floor below them, subconsciously swinging her feet in the air, and Tungsten sat across from her. Both of the twins held onto each other in fear, before the movie even started.

"Shut up now, it's starting," Teal shushed, though no one was even speaking. The bass blared through the room. The audio and sound effects were enhanced for Roxo to enjoy the movie as well.

The title— _The Rise of the Weregrimm_ —flashed across the television screen in old-fashioned film, and immediately disappeared. Teal audibly shoved popcorn into his mouth, and Saffron eagerly slurped soda through her straw.

The movie played on for a few minutes, as the woman in the movie walked through a forest alone.

"Why doesn't she have a gun or a sword?!" Saffron whined. "Dumb girl."

"Saffron! Quiet!" Lilac reprimanded, and the actor tripped over a tree root. Lake jumped in his seat slightly. Teal snickered under his breath.

"Lake." He whispered, hanging over the armrest of the couch.

"Yes?" Lake whispered back, watching intently while slurping his soda.

"Can I have some?" Teal begged, "Please."

Lake grimaced, "No, get your own…"

Teal grinned, and wound up pouring himself a cup from the bottle that read, "NOT FOR TEAL!"

For the rest of the movie Teal eagerly tapped his fingers on the armrest, and jumping excessively whenever there was a big scare. Lilac shifted uncomfortably in her seat; afraid of the movie by the looks of it. She slowly leaned into Roxo's torso, listening to his heartbeat.

"You alright?" He whispered.

"This movie is suspenseful." She replied.

"Is it really?" Roxo asked genuinely, and continued to listen to the movie. Everyone jumped when a Beowolf howl from outside matched the one in the movie. Magnolia anxiously glanced at her vambraces and boots sitting by the staircase. At least one person in the house had to have their weapon, was her reasoning behind keeping it with her.

"Calm down, the kingdom's defenses will protect us." Magnolia told herself.

"Something wrong, Mags?" Roxo asked.

"Nope."

The first movie ended quickly, and Tungsten threw in the second installment of the series, _The Rise of the Weregrimm: II_. Halfway through the much less exciting sequel, Lilac dozed off and fell asleep on Roxo's chest. A wide-eyed Teal and Saffron still sat on the edge of his seat, while everyone else was slowly dozing off.

"Wait!" Saffron shouted, waking everyone up. "I almost forgot. The _surprise_! Remember?"

Lake stirred, "Oh yeah."

He hurried to the oven, and pulled out a large, rectangular cake with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEAL & MAGNOLIA!" written in large letters.

"We're halfway through the semester and y'all are eighteen already!" Lilac groggily hugged Magnolia, "Happy birthday!"

"I almost forgot…" Roxo chided himself, "Happy birthday!"

They all cheered, and jumped with fear when the movie blared again.


	14. November has Come

**November has Come**

The morning after Halloween, Lake woke up in a cold sweat. He shot up like a bullet, gasping for air. From the top-bunk of their bed, he looked down at Roxo, who was sprawled out like a starfish, and snoring like a pig. Rain fell down in a thin mist outside, letting cold gray light into the room.

Teal didn't stir, even with all the creaking Lake was making as he descended down the makeshift bunk ladder. He fell asleep with a pair of shades where the lenses were shaped into "18" on both eyes.

 _God knows where he found that_ , Lake thought, drifting across the cold wood floors towards the bathroom. He groaned and stepped into the shower, humming quietly to himself, content with being alone while everyone still slept.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Magnolia said as she passed through the hallway, steaming coffee in her hand. She was already…dressed, but apparently decided to shake it up today.

Lake leaned in the doorway, wearing only a towel around his waist. He sized her up and down, almost grimacing at her outfit.

"Deciding to change it up?" He asked.

"What, you don't like it?" Magnolia crossed her arms, flaunting a maroon pea coat, and the pink shirt underneath. Her matching pink skirt hung above her knees in thin ruffles, and white fishnet tights led into her boots.

Lake's cheeks turned as pink as her shirt, "Yes. I think it looks fine on you."

"Don't get any bright ideas, boy," she scolded, heading downstairs into the common room. Lake got dressed as well—the jeans, motorcycle jacket, and same sneakers he always wore—and followed her down.

"What are you doing up so early anyways? It's our off week." Lake questioned.

"I was…out." Magnolia stated creeping into the kitchen.

In the moment of silence, the T.V suddenly whirred to life. The news immediately displayed numerous amounts of grimm in parts of Vale. Huntsman and Huntresses, however, kept them at bay.

"Halloween tricks, games, and supposedly harmless pranks have put neighborhoods and rural areas susceptible to grimm attacks." The anchor explained, "To all huntsman and huntresses in the area, we need _your_ help."

Lake looked over at Magnolia. She lit up her knuckles, and activated the gears in her boots. He turned the safety off of the _Skyfall's Flame_ and cocked the gun, and summoned a blade of ice to fill the hilt.

"Looks like we've got people to save." Lake said, just as Roxo and Teal came clambering down the stairs. Roxo was stumbling down the last steps to get pants on, while Teal accidentally sent a lightning bolt into Lake in a sudden fit.

"Teal!" Lake grunted, almost collapsing to the floor.

"Sorry Lake." Teal took a deep breath, making sure Lake could get up safely.

[Line Break]

The city streets were empty, but as they continued farther into the outskirts of Vale—towards the walls—the mist started to settle in. Lake took a deep breath. Atlas soldiers lined the walls, knocking out nearby Beowolves. A row of Goliaths lined up across the field, intently stampeding towards the city. People inside buildings looked out from their windows in horror, feeding the Grimm with their fear.

"Huntsman?" One of the soldier's asked.

Teal nodded, and everyone readied their weapons.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Teal glanced over at his team, "Yeah?"

Lake stomped forward, "Yeah!"

Teal chased after Lake, zipping through the blades of grass and the Beowolves as effortlessly as cake. Meanwhile, Roxo captured the attention of two Goliaths, growling at him decisively. Out of nowhere, Magnolia sprinted up Roxo's back and leapt off of his shoulders, socking the monster in its faceplate, leaving behind black scorch marks from fire dust. The second Goliath wasted no time hurling itself towards Roxo.

"Watch out!" Magnolia shouted, reaching for him. Roxo gasped, and his scythe got caught in between the tusks of the Grimm, causing the creature to shake its head profusely.

Lake looked back for a second, "Roxo!"

Roxo panted, falling back to the ground quickly. He flipped his scythe around, slicing the Grimm in half in a messy spin. He hit the ground, landing hard on his knees. Teal and Lake both rushed to his side.

Teal grabbed him by the shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Roxo staggered. Amidst their distraught, pack of Beowolves surrounded the four of them. Magnolia clenched her fists, and dropped her heel into one of them with a fiery flick of her heel. It whimpered and slumped to the ground, dissipating into ash. From another side of the city, the wall collapsed, letting a large Taijitu unravel itself in the streets.

"Teal!" Lake shouted, rushing over to deal with the problem.

"Right!" Teal followed after him, "Magnolia! Roxo! Take care of this side, Lake and I will be over there!"

She nodded, standing behind Roxo as Grimm surrounded them. She hurled punches back and forth, too quick for the human eye to comprehend, while Roxo lured the monsters into his scythe, ripping them to pieces group by group.

Lake ran, cutlass in hand aside Teal, cutting off a pair of Taijitu at a street corner. Three figures on a rooftop watched them experimentally, one wearing a short red dress, the other in a white coat with a cigar and cane in hand, and a girl with emerald green hair. Teal didn't seem to notice them, so Lake paid no attention to it.

The Taijitu hissed in front of him, bearing its fangs. Teal was busy with the other serpent, leaving Lake to his own devices. He aimed hi sword at it, firing crystal blue bullets at it. He ducked when it lunged for him, dragging his icy blade across its stomach.

"Let's hope this works." Lake said, and stood on top of the creature, focusing his energy on his jacket. The seams glowed blue from Dust lining his clothing. The reel on the back that loaded his sword flashed, and a circle of glyphs appeared around him. With a flick of his wrist, a jet of water speared through the head of the Taijitu, making it fade into ash before it could even fall to the ground.

Lake cheered, and watched as Teal ran around the creature in circles, tying it into a knot. He swung his guitar-axe down the center, chopping into pitch-black pieces. He swung the weapon over his shoulders, flashing a toothy grin at his partner. Lake rolled his eyes, and suddenly rushed over to assist an elderly couple hiding behind a street corner.

"Teal!" He shouted, helping the man sit down. He was breathing heavily, as if traumatized by the monstrous Grimm. His wife didn't speak English (or whatever the language is on Remnant), but luckily, Lake could understand. She spoke rapid Korean, leaving only tiny bits and pieces for Lake to understand.

" _Jinjeonghae._ " He muttered, repeating it slowly until the woman took a deep breath. She apologized, and started over. Teal got off his scroll, and rushed over to Lake.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I was awesome at Korean that's what." He said, "We have to get this couple to their condo down the street."

"Oh my god you speak Korean? I _love_ K-Pop!" Teal squealed, helping the old man back on his feet. Lake shuddered, suddenly regretting saying anything about his native language.

"Let's just focus on what we have to do first, Teal." He said, feeling heat rise under his nose and in his cheeks.

Magnolia and Roxo were almost out of breath. They anticipated the next—hopefully final—wave of Grimm. Roxo's clothes were tattered, his bowtie undone, his shirt untucked, and his shoes scuffed with dirt. Magnolia heaved deep breaths, and had to tie her hair in a huge, messy ponytail.

"I'll take it from here, kiddos." An older, raspy voice relaxed behind them.

"Qrow!" Roxo cheered. He was so battle-weary he didn't even realize the man was behind them.

"You know him?" Magnolia chided.

"What's up flower girl? Didn't think I'd see you like this." Qrow took his sword out from behind him stepping aside the two.

"Didn't think you'd be drinking still, but look where we are."

Qrow chuckled, "Good one. She's a keeper, Roxo."

Roxo flushed red, "I'm already…no."

Magnolia sighed, "Oh…"

Qrow drank, and gestured the kids to leave, "What are you kids waiting for? Your friends need you!"

Magnolia and Roxo immediately ran into the city, finding Lake and Teal accompanied by Team LTVS, as well as headmistress Glynda.

"It's about time you showed up!" Lilac shouted, as she plowed through a group of Ursa. Magnolia smiled dryly at her, as Roxo joined in the battle.


	15. November has Come II

**November Has Come Pt. II**

Lilac held up her spear proudly, "Fashionably late."

Roxo smiled, "Of course."

A beowolf attempted to sneak up on Lilac, but Tungsten sliced it in half, standing next to her, looking generally confused. The twins warped in from god-knows-where, bouncing excitedly over a group of Grimm.

"What in the world is going on here?" Tungsten questioned.

"Civil unrest." A familiarly raspy voice followed, "Some hooligans decided to play some serious pranks over the media, so the general population became unsettled, warranting Grimm."

Magnolia raised an eyebrow in concern, as did Teal. Roxo turned around suddenly. Lake squinted his eyes, as if in disbelief.

"Qrow?" They said in unison.

"What?" He said, "Never seen an old man before?"

Roxo excitedly ran to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Guys! This is my old teacher from Signal Academy, Mister Branwen."

Magnolia cracked her knuckles, either glaring at him or the Grimm behind him. The brass sleeves around each of her fingers glowed different colors of dust, while the cores on the back of her hands were a burning orange.

"Is that the dude that you told me about Mags?" Teal whispered, "He's kinda hot…in a rustic way."

Magnolia shot him a chagrined look, "I don't think you refer to people as _rustic_ , Teal."

"Well, I do." Teal strapped his sword to his back and crossed his arms.

"You're weird." Magnolia approached Qrow with caution. He scratched his chin, staring at the two of them pensively.

"Ah, the Ciels. Fancy seeing you here." He screwed the cap back onto his flask and stored it in his pocket. "And Hikari? Don't tell me you're on the same team too…are ya?"

Teal nodded, "You know—

"Qrow, don't distract the kids." Glynda's voice pierced through the alley like an eagle's cry in a valley.

"Glynda. How've you been?" Qrow asked.

"Now is not the time," Glynda repaired the boundary at the end of the city. "Take the eight of them back to the school, it's not safe for them here."

"Take us back? We just got here!" Lilac bit her lip after earning a repressive look from the headmistress.

"I understand," she scolded and glanced back at Qrow. "To ensure your safety as well as that of the civilians closer to the school."

Qrow rolled his eyes and turned around. He muttered to himself, "I'm always the damn babysitter."

Teams TRML and LTVS pouted their way through the streets until they escaped Glynda's glare, where Qrow stopped them.

"Alright, by 'safety of the civilians,' I'm sure she meant to clear out the city of remaining Grimm, so have at it. Just make your way toward the school."

Qrow vaulted away and both teams lit up and scattered through the alleys. A growling group of beowolves followed Teal and his team, while Lilac and her team flanked an unnaturally large nevermore.

"Teal, behind you!" Magnolia shouted. She socked a monster in the jaw and threw it into the group behind it. Teal gasped, ducking under its attack. Lake lashed his whip out, lassoing a monster and throwing it into the air. Magnolia's fist met it before it hit the ground, pounding it into black dust.

He slid on his knees and played a loud riff, sending blue bolts in every direction. " _Rock_ _on_!"

Roxo heard his cue and leapt over Teal, swinging his scythe in a figure eight and chopping up Teal's assailants. He lifted up his hand and made a 'rock on' sign with his fingers. Teal smiled and returned the favor.

Magnolia grabbed Roxo's shoulders and pulled him down, pointing at a flock of nevermores an inch above his head. Roxo made a basket in his hands, gesturing back at Magnolia. She nodded and stepped in his palms, springing up into the cloud of birds. She slammed her palm into one of them, and the entire flock dissolved in fire and electricity. Roxo caught her when she fell back to the earth.

"I still have to come up with a codename for you two." Teal placed his finger on his chin, "Maybe _brick breaker_?"

Roxo set Magnolia back on the ground. They collectively agreed, "No."

"Whatever, that's what you're gonna be."

"But what are we?" Lake asked.

" _Electric Eel_?" Teal thought, leading them around the next block.

"Works for me." Lake replied. They followed the street down the road, walking parallel to the school. They came across the pier, and began to make their way toward the school. Roxo gasped and bolted further into the city, his accomplices not far behind him. He took long strides for four whole blocks, digging his heels into the ground in front of a brick building.

"What is it Roxo?!" Magnolia stopped before him. At the sight of goliaths circling the area, she yanked him into an alleyway to hide. Each of the monsters were larger than usual; nearly as tall as the building itself and strong enough to topple a whole block. They were armored to the teeth; even the joints

"That's a lot of goliaths…" Teal gulped, his grip tightening on his sword. Magnolia, Lake, and he all stacked on top of each other to peer around the corner.

"There's gotta be at least eight of them." Roxo slouched.

"We should be able to take them on." Lake encouraged.

"If the rest of Lotus was with us! The four of us would barely be able to take on one!" Teal said.

"Calm down," Magnolia reassured. "I sent Lilac a message. Her and the rest of them will be here soon."

Roxo stood up straight with as she spoke. He fixated on the sky for a moment, deep in thought.

"We could stall the grimm until they get here. It'll prevent any more harm." He said.

Teal nodded in agreement, "Right. Not necessarily attack them, just get their attention."

Lake stuck his hand out, gesturing for the rest of them to do the same. Magnolia helped Roxo place his hand in the middle of the group.

"Tourmaline on three." Lake said.

"One…two…three," Teal continued. "Tourmaline!"

They all broke apart. Magnolia and Lake took the skyline, while Roxo and Teal started on foot. Magnolia propelled herself onto the roof of the building with a fiery, dust-powered stomp, while Lake latched onto the edge with a ribbon of water. Teal threw an arc of electricity at the hard plates of a goliath. It veered its ugly head to the side in recoil, but immediately turned its attention back onto Teal.

"Hey ugly!" Teal shouted, receiving the attention of the herd. He laughed, "That's a face only a mother could love!"

The first one charged at him, but a thick silver chain plunged into the side of a building. Roxo's harpoon caught the monster by the ankles. Magnolia fell from above, her fists steaming in vibrant warm hues. The armlets wrapped around her elbows flared to life, propelling her fist into the grimm with a loud crack. Its faceplate snapped in half, and it staggered backward.

"Roxo!" She shouted, and the boy retracted his harpoon, and twirled around the grimm's legs, cutting off the crucial tendons at its joints. As if from the heavens, Lilac's spear came down and drilled through the monster's stomach.

"What'd we miss?" Lilac slid down from the rooftops and landed next to Roxo.

"Not much." Roxo giggled, "I mean…there are still seven more goliaths."

"Now's not the time, lovebirds." Vermillion said and jumped in front of them. His shield protected them from a goliath's stomp, sending shockwaves into the ground around them. Roxo and Lilac jumped out of the way, faces hot with embarrassment.

 _How much time passed by us?_ Lilac thought, while Tungsten and Magnolia broke off the tusks of one of the monsters. Lake wrapped a veil of water around its knees and brought it to the ground.

Roxo hurried over and wrapped his scythe around its neck, the serrated blades already digging into its flesh. Lilac gathered a running start toward a lone goliath. Tungsten caught up to her and offered her a step with his hands. Roxo did the same, slightly higher.

She grunted loudly and arched her arm and spear. Its gears groaned and began to spin. She threw it with full force, drilling through the air and through the goliath's neck.

In the midst of the battle, Lake caught the attention of a small group overlooking them from the rooftops. A woman in a glowing red dress, another with an umbrella and brown and pink hair, and a man with orange hair and a black cane stood above him.

 _They look suspicious..._ Lake thought, and pulled out his Scroll. Before he could dial a huntress or huntsman, it was shot out of his hands.

"Geez!" Lake swore, shaking the smoke off his hand. He pulled out his pistol and fired back. The woman in the red dress shot fiery bolts at Lake, to which he replied with jets of water from his jacket. The bolts met and formed a white cloud.

"Who are you?!" He shouted, though the group disappeared after the cloud dissipated.

"Lake!" Roxo's voice broke through the air behind him. He swung his scythe at Lake, though it caught onto the woman in the red dress. Fragments of reality shattered like glass and disappeared.

"What in the—the woman was caught off guard by more of Roxo's swings. He thrashed her about with his scythe, while she extended the life of her aura. Lake gasped and jumped out of the way. The other two of her associates were nowhere to be seen. Roxo immediately felt a disturbance in the ground; footsteps loomed over them from the rooftops.

"Watch out!" Roxo pushed Lake out of his way. An orange bolt flew through the air and caught him on the chest. The explosion sent him into a wall. He fell back to the floor, where his aura glowed dark purple as it faded away. Lake ran over to his side.

"Roxo?" He shook his unconscious body, "Roxo, get up!"

"We've been seen!" The man with orange hair shouted, scolding the smaller woman. "Are your illusions broken, Neo?!"

Neo slapped him and pointed into her eyes.

"I don't get it! Two words? Two syllables?" He groaned.

Neo shook her head and pointed again. She then wagged her finger in front of her eyes.

"His eyes don't work? He's blind?"

Neo nodded her head, _Yes stupid_.

The woman in the red dress staggered over Roxo, raising her hand over both him and Lake. Before the fire leapt from her fingers, a small crow flew in. Qrow fell out of the air and dropkicked her in the face.

"Agh!" She forfeited and fled with her accomplices. Qrow sprinted over to Roxo's side. The rest of TRML and LTVS caught whiff of what happened and rushed over.

"Will he…be alright?" Lilac asked. Teal and Magnolia nodded, as if they were going to ask the same question.

"Help me carry him back to Beacon."


	16. Extra-Curricular I

**Extra-Curricular**

"Is he going to be alright?" Magnolia sat next to Roxo in the infirmary. Lake paced around the room, while Teal snored in a chair in the corner of the room.

"God dammit." Lake swore. "If I had moved fast enough. I could've stopped it, but now he's probably got a few broken ribs or something."

"He'll be fine, Hikari." Qrow groaned, taking a swig of the whiskey from his flask. Roxo's breathing settled in a few minutes. He stirred, his last breath punctuated with a loud groan as he shot up. His sweat-wicked purple hair slicked back, making him look like a younger, aesthetic version Qrow. His dark torrents fell back into their usual shag when he scratched his head.

"Lake!" He cried, clutching his chest and reaching forward.

"Roxo!" Magnolia rushed over to his side, "It's alright…you're safe now, Lake's safe now."

"We're in…where are we?" Roxo said, feeling his surroundings. His glassy, pale gray eyes. He searched for _The Grimmsickle_ , reassured when he found his weapon leaning against his cot. Magnolia's soft, though not smooth, hands wrapped around his. The mere texture depressed his pulse. Teal shot up, and Lake came to Roxo's side as well.

"We're in the infirmary, Roxo." Lake said, "You were hit directly by an explosion, do you remember?"

Roxo clutched his forehead, "Yeah, I do. I feel…much better now."

Qrow got up and clapped Roxo on the shoulder, "Good. I'll go let Glynda know you're better."

The man left the room, followed by the shrill scolding of the headmistress.

"You were supposed to _make sure_ they didn't get hurt, Qrow." She said. Teal got shivers all the way across the room. Magnolia's hairs all stood on end.

He and Glynda both reentered the room, where Qrow gave Roxo the thumbs-up to go.

The four of them wandered around the main hall, tired and groggy from getting up early. The overly enthusiastic sirens directing them to the main hall drowned out their very thoughts. Small orange lights illuminated the sides of the pathways before the sun could. Teal groaned, repeatedly dropping his hand through the transparent screen trying to choose a trip for their team. Roxo dozed off, swinging back and forth on his heels, quieter than usual. Magnolia crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

Lake shoved Teal out of the way and filled out the required forms himself. The boy had bags under his eyes, and his hollow cheekbones were outlined by the moonlight.

"What are you doing looking at advanced trips?" An eerie, familiarly whiny voice echoed, "You'll be killed for sure."

Teal rolled his eyes, _It is too damn early for this_ , "It's called being on honors roll, Ivory, understand? Students not taking classes they failed in elementary school."

Lake's eyes widened, _Low blow, bro_. Magnolia snickered under her breath, while Ivory and his teammates gasped, dumbfounded.

Roxo scratched his head and turned to Magnolia, "They offer those kinds of classes here?"

Ivory stormed off. Teal kissed his teeth and selected the mission titled, _"Nuckelavee: Mistral_." Roxo scratched his head, a confused smirk quirking on his lips.

"But if it's a prestigious school, why would there be elementary level classes?"

"I don't know Roxo, you can't solve all your problems in one night." Magnolia shrugged. Teal let out a yawn and headed towards the courtyard, where they would set out on their mission. The sun peaked over the peak of Mountain Glenn, sending orange streaks in every direction.

"Good morning young huntsmen and hunts-women!" The dashing Professor Tempest and his equally as charismatic partner, Burley, greeted the team with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Professor Burley was a youthful woman barely taller than Magnolia—though even that was still quite short. Though, her glossy brown eyes betrayed her youth, like the crackling dead leaves in the fall. She wore brown leather gloves and a laced corset. Her skirt hung just above her knees, and her legs were stocked in spider-web shaped lace. The only offset to her outfit was the black biker's jacket she wore unzipped, and her short hair dangled in crude curls behind her ears.

On the other hand, the dashing Professor Tempest matched Roxo in height. His slick black pompadour gave him an extra inch over the boy. He sported a thick handlebar mustache ran across his upper lip and a gray coat. He also adorned a short white scarf and leather gloves.

Magnolia closely examined the two of them. Her eyes glittered with fascination and curiosity, "Why are there two of you? I thought one huntsman was supposed to accompany us?"

Tempest answered, his accent hinted with a twang, "Well, my dear Miss Ciel. Your missions may be more advanced, but you are still very inexperienced. We are here as your last line of defense."

"Come along now, loves, you wouldn't want to be late for this trip." Burley said, inciting the four of them onboard. Roxo gulped, helping himself onto the deck. Magnolia sat on the edge of the entrance, her legs dangling overboard. Teal and Lake fought over a spot on top of a crate. Lake forfeited the spot when Teal threatened to sit on his lap.

"So, Team Tourmaline," Tempest began. "The Ciel twins, Akiro, and…Grimmsickle?"

Roxo's cheeks heated up, flustered, "Y-Yeah, that's me."

" _You're_ Clara's son?!" Tempest raced over and examined Roxo's glassy eyes, "You are indeed!"

Teal scratched his head, "Who?"

Roxo's eyes immediately started to swell, "W-What?"

Tempest chuckled and brushed his chin, "She was quite the woman, I can tell you that?"

Burley cleared her throat, realizing the thought of Roxo's mother was still an open wound for the boy.

Roxo rocked on his heels. He averted his gaze to hide the tears building up, "What did you know about her?"

Burley thought for a moment, "Everything. I used to work with her during my time as a researcher. She was assigned to protect me for many foreign missions."

Roxo looked up at her, listening slightly closer. Magnolia turned her head as well.

Burley faltered to continue, "She was a woman of many talents…"

She went on to describe Roxo's mother's life and career, eventually attracting Teal and Lake. The two gathered around her like children. Tempest sneered at the mention of her name, scoffing in the back of his throat when Burley recounted Clara's battles. Magnolia watched him from across the deck, listening nonchalantly.

Burley grew giddy, bubbling and giggling as she reminisced over Clara. Roxo became more and more enticed, though questions began to build up inside him. A certain question ate at his insides, _But how did she die_. Burley went on to describe her as a vivacious fighter, equally as vibrant in her words and in combat. Clara Grimmsickle, known for eradicating innumerous gangs and shutting down black markets in Haven. Clara Grimmsickle, the bullet-mark between the eyes of four Beowolves with a single shell. Clara Grimmsickle, the resourceful huntress who couldn't be stopped even when she ran out of bullets, but was put to an end by a reason unknown to Roxo.

"What a woman indeed." Burley sighed in relief. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were focused on the horizon. Roxo feigned a smile, though the persistent question of _How?_ continued to burn in his stomach. Before they knew it, their ship harbored in Mistral.


	17. Extra-Curricular II

**Extra-Curricular Pt. II**

Teal led his team towards the edge of the city, where Burley and Tempest stopped them. The two opened up the bordering gate with a loud creak, the rust snowing off of the hinges like clouds of dust.

Burley took in a timey breath of the thick, swampy air, "Ah yes, Mistral. I don't miss this place."

Tempest tripped over a twig and shouted, "Blimey!" (Delete this later)

Roxo picked up his feet, careful to step in the softened mud. Magnolia tended to walk along tree roots or rocks elevated from the ground. Lake simply displaced the water from the mud as he walked. Teal didn't care, as long as mud kept off of his jacket. In that case, he kept aerosol soap and a brush in his pocket.

The group followed a mossy and moldy stone path, hidden by decades of disuse. An old sign reading _Kuroyuri_ pointed them in the right direction, but Burley and Tempest stopped at the crossroads. Crow-sized Nevermores peered down at them from the trees, their eyes stabbing into Roxo's aura. A loud whinny in the distance scared several of them away, and Roxo reached for his weapon. Teal subconsciously rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. Lake and Magnolia merely looked its way.

"There it is…" Tempest grinned. No a drop of fear tinted his eyes, but a playful tug pulled at his lips. He glanced at Burley, _Change of plans_. Before Burley could speak, he began, "Our first objective will be to set up camp in Kuroyuri, the ruined village."

Burley took a sharp breath in rebuttal, but Tempest's tempestuous look shut her up. The team of four followed them to the ruined village in silence. Their breaths and Teal's sloshing footsteps sounded the way. Lake whistled an old swing to lighten the mood, but the abandoned town of Kuroyuri dimmed it right back. Aging Beowolves cowered at the sight of six huntsman and huntresses. One sniffed the air as Roxo passed and snuck away.

Lake cracked the whip, forming the water into a frozen lance. Magnolia cracked her knuckles and orange Dust glowed in her fists. Heat like the sun's emanated from them, forming clouds of steam around her. A large Beowolf growled behind Roxo, and leapt to catch him. In one swift motion, Roxo whipped out his scythe and decapitated it.

"Excellent." Tempest said, resting in the center of the square. Burley tossed off her gloves, revealing her mechanical right hand. Teal volleyed his axe through a group of Grimm and ran after his weapon. The blade wedged itself between the seams of the stone ground, where he lunged and anchored himself. He slid down the shaft of his weapon, and it transformed into a long sword.

Roxo felt the area for Grimm, his senses extending out into the ground. He shook his head to notify the others that the square was clear. Magnolia dropped her backpack next to Roxo's. Teal and Lake ran off to explore the rest of the town. The two returned with firewood at Burley's request.

"This place has quite the history." Burley began, examining the decaying walls of what used to be an inn. "I've been here once or twice while it was still populated. It certainly was a thriving place."

Lake grinned, kindling the sticks. The tip of Burley's middle finger uncapped, revealing a small lighter. Lake struck the wood with fire dust at the same time her finger erupted with fire. The boy jumped back, earning a snicker from the twins. Burley chuckled as well.

"Hey!" Lake shouted at Teal, "I didn't know what was gonna happen."

Teal rolled his eyes, "Still funny."

Roxo joined in the latter, sitting with his feet facing the fire. He rested his head against his backpack. The shrill howls of Beowolves in the distance were as soothing as the whistling winds of a winter's night. Magnolia anxiously tapped her fingers on the ground. Her knuckles tensed with each Nevermore's piercing cry.

"Lake and I call first watch!" Teal cheered. Lake raised an eyebrow, though he knew he couldn't protest against Teal.

The first few hours were boring. Roxo couldn't sleep well anyways, and Magnolia's constant shooting up whenever a Grimm in the distance howled sent vibrations that shook his skull. He was only half-asleep by the time it was their turn to keep watch.

Roxo sat on top of a stone arch, wary of monstrous sensations that could be making their way closer. He tried to stretch his ability out into the forest, straining until beads of sweat formed on his head. Occasionally there was the lone Ursai hibernating in the forest, but Roxo was most suspicious of the oily pool in the distance. It wasn't water, he knew what that felt like; constantly flowing with life, even in vacant ponds. This pool was brimmed with death.

Roxo pounded his hand against the stone to try to get a better look, but Magnolia's appearance next to him broke his concentration.

"How're you holding up?" She sat a few feet away from him.

"I've been…good." He gulped, "So far I've found three Ursai within five-hundred yards."

The repetitive pound of hooves added a curious furrow to his brow.

Magnolia rubbed her chin, "Interesting, anything else?"

Roxo's squinted, "Horses…or a horse, actually. I didn't think there were any out here. Especially at this hour."

"There…aren't." Magnolia hopped off of the arch and jogged over to Burley. Tempest shot up when Roxo returned. Roxo explained what he saw, though the creature was still quite far.

A hungering spark twinkled in Burley's eye, "Yes…the one I wanted to observe! We have to leave immediately!"

Teal and Lake shot up. Tempest grinned, "I say we flank it. I'll take two of them and we'll take it from behind."

Burley scratched her chin, "Perhaps, but we have a better chance if we stick together. Strength in numbers."

Tempest sneered, his eyes swirling tentatively, "We've no idea what this species of grimm can do, maybe we can get a better look by observing from afar."

Magnolia watched the gears turn in Burley's head. Tempest had a point, but Burley knew from the numerous accounts of dead huntsman that splitting up was not a good idea.

"We'll stick together until we find the creature, but when we near it, we'll have it surrounded." She compromised and began to lead the group. Magnolia could see the nerve in Burley's eyes. The woman was afraid, though whether it was of Professor Tempest or the Grimm Magnolia could not figure out.

As they passed through swampier areas, Roxo grew more hesitant in his steps. He was beginning to lose feeling of the ground. The water made his steps hazy and unclear, like a person without glasses, and the constant movements from the rest of the group clouded his senses. The water, however, swirled around his ankles, offering him false security. He could feel whatever was swimming around, though not very clearly.

Roxo froze, "There's…I-I don't even know."

Burley turned around, "Hmm?"

Her words were punctuated by a large reptile springing out of the water. Roxo fell back into against Teal. Lake blasted the creature with several ribbons of water, though it disappeared back into the water.

Burley's hairs all stood on end, though they were soaked with swamp-water and leaves, "Crocodile...Grimm." She unsheathed her hand, pointing a finger-gun at her surroundings. Magnolia's pulse raged with adrenaline. Murky black tails churned in the water, sending mini whirlpools around her feet. She counted one…two…three…four of the primitive Grimm surrounding them.

Teal raised up his sword, though his mere sparks could prove deadly in such close quarters and water. Magnolia searched her surroundings for something elevated and sturdy. The Grimm reappeared, their glowing red eyes and foggy-white scales hard to miss. One lurched at Teal, though his sword popped right through its back with ease. Roxo could sense more Grimm following the others.

"We can't fight them all." He said.

"Roxo, take my hand." Magnolia said, finding an ample tree in the distance.

"Why—

"Just do it!" Magnolia growled, taking his gloved fingers in hers. "There's a tree over that way, lift up your harpoon."

Roxo pointed himself in the direction, though his aim was towards a cloud twenty degrees away from the tree. Magnolia picked the blade up herself and pointed him in the right direction.

"Think you can carry all of us?" Magnolia asked.

"Pray he can." Burley and the others came in close. Magnolia and Roxo held tight onto the staff of the Grimmsickle, holding their teammates close. The harpoon from Roxo's weapon shot out and anchored itself in the tree.

"Ready?" Roxo gulped.

"Yes!" They all shouted in unison. The weapon grappled them across the marsh quickly, though the Crocodiles followed in equal speed. Teal fumbled out his sword and dipped the tip in the water. He laughed maniacally and shot sparks into the water. Several clouds of smoke billowed into the air, forming a taunting ghost before dissipating. The group landed unharmed, though soaking wet on a small island.

"Are we alright?" Burley called, dusting twigs off her skirt.

"No, I'm all left." Teal snickered and Lake socked him in the shoulder. Roxo planted himself on the solid ground, never happier to have found it again.

"How far are we from the Nuckelavee, Roxo?" Burley asked.

"It's all solid ground from here," he cooed. "We're not too far from it."

Burley glanced back at Tempest. The man said, "We should split up now. Grimmsickle, Ciel number one, you're with me."

Roxo hesitantly stepped towards him as well as Magnolia. Tempest turned her right around, gesturing Teal to come follow. The two tentatively followed him, constantly looking back at Burley.

"Think of it as a team-building exercise, except without your usual partner." Tempest grinned, "This time you'll be finding compatibility with someone you're unfamiliar with."

Burley raised her eyebrow in disagreement, but still looked powerless compared to Tempest, "Lake. Magnolia." She led them down a split in the path. Tempest did the same. Teal and Roxo held both of their weapons in hand with equal caution. The Nuckelavee's familiar whinnies in the distance became louder as they approached.

"Burley! There it is!" Magnolia's voice boomed from across the forest.

"I see it! Where's Roxo and Teal?" Lake's shouts were punctuated with loud grunts.

Roxo lurched forward, "We have to help them!" Before he could pass Tempest, the man kneed him in the chest and threw him to the ground. Almost immediately, he was caught by a silver crest of lightning. He grunted and flew into a tree, shaking out several tiny Nevermores.

"Roxo!" Teal ran over to help his teammate back up. Roxo breathed heavily to gather the wind knocked out of him. Tempest cracked his knuckles and lunged for Roxo again. In the middle of his leap, he knocked Teal to the side. A group of Crocodiles occupied him.

"Show me…" Tempest said, his voice no more than a mere rasp, "Show me that you're her son!"

Roxo chewed on his lip in nervousness. He held up the Grimmsickle in a defensive stance. He swung in a circular arc, throwing his scythe behind him and catching it in his other hand to build up momentum. Tempest ducked and jumped over each swing and grabbed onto his shaft. Roxo was pulled in closer into Tempest's fist.

The boy grunted, but retaliated with a spire of earth and woodchips, throwing Tempest into the skyline. Roxo fired his harpoon at him and pummeled him as he made his way back down to Remnant. Tempest unsheathed two pistols from under his coat.

The bullets were each fried in a single bolt of lightning; Teal's last stand before being encircled by the herd of Crocodiles. Tempest scorned him and snapped his fingers, consequentially bringing more Grimm out of the water.

"Teal!" Roxo shouted and tried to assist his teammate. Tempest stopped him, spitting out a tooth before facing Roxo.

"Not so fast." His pistols spat several bullets in a single press of the trigger. Each shell seemed to penetrate Roxo's aura; he could _feel_ it. The boy fell to his knees, though his grip was still tight on his weapon.

"You can feel it, can't you?" Tempest scorned, "I know I still can."

Roxo's neck was gripped tight in his hand. The boy dropped his scythe trying to break free. The barrel of the gun pressed against his chest, right over his heart.

"And here I thought you'd put up more of a fight…" Tempest whispered, "I want you to feel the same pain your mother gave me, by these very guns. Shame, I'm not as talented as her to use all four at the same time, but I'll compensate by shooting harder."

Roxo's eyes widened. His feet dangled inches off the ground, if only he could feel it, at least one of the woodchips or leaves. He flailed his legs about, trying to catch Tempest in the knee.

Roxo could feel the trigger about to be pressed and shut his eyes tight. He kicked up a pile of leaves; the moment he was waiting for. Enormous manacles of clay, mud, and wood filled the space between them, redirecting the bullet into the sky and grasping around Tempest's wrist. Roxo gasped for oxygen, stumbling over to Teal. The boy's aura was fading, Roxo heard it in the fading thunder erupting around him.

"T-Teal." He said, cleaving through the Crocodiles trying to find him. Teal crouched, exhausted. Roxo caught him as he fell to his knees. Teal reached over Roxo's shoulder and pointed.

"Arthur Watts." He said, "I remember an ugly face like yours."

Tempest applauded, backing away, "Well done Ciel. Remember me, don't you? I've worked with your father, after all, I'm the one who sold them out."

Teal remained silent, but Roxo planted his heel into Tempest's face, knocking his aura into oblivion. He received a hard fist across the cheek immediately.

"Why you filthy—his words were cut off by Magnolia's battle-cry. Tempest lunged out of the way. The flaming girl chased him off, but he left behind four pieces of paraphernalia. Four silver pistols, one attached with a pocket-sized memoir and engraved with the initials _C.G._

"Are you alright?" Burley caught Roxo as he fell, "I'm so sorry…I could have prevented all this but I…I was afraid."

Roxo wrapped his arm around Magnolia for support. He asked, "Teal says he knew who that was…why didn't you do anything?"

"I was afraid too…" was all she replied with. Several helicopters whirred above them, carrying them back to Vale.

When they landed, they immediately wound up in Ozpin's office. Magnolia presented the four pistols to Roxo first, then to the other professors in the room.

"Watts left these behind, recognize them?" She asked.

"Those were—

"My mom's." Roxo said, "I know now."

 **A/N: Thanks for sticking along so far! Be sure to share this story with your friends and write a review, it means a lot to me** **.**


	18. Dance Dance

**Just Dance**

The morning dew clung to Magnolia's and Lake's hair on their return jog to the dorm. Lake's forehead and collar were beaded with shiny bulbs of sweat. With a single swipe across his forehead, the liquid flew off his forehead and dissolved into the air.

"Nice morning," Magnolia acknowledged. The sun peered over the Mountain Glenn through the panes of the kitchen window, overseeing the room in panels of tangerine light.

Their moment together was briefly interrupted by a rabid pair of blondes. Both Vermillion and Saffron warped down the stairs and through the kitchen door.

"Stop teleporting indoors!" Lilac's maternal voice made Lake and Magnolia's hairs stand on end. She barreled after the two, unprepared for the morning. Her hair was still pulled back in a tight bun, her face hidden behind a white collagen mask. She shrieked and froze when Magnolia and Lake caught her.

"Should I look away? I feel like I'm seeing something I shouldn't be." Lake cleared his throat and covered his eyes.

"She's not a morning person, Lake." Magnolia snickered, "I should know."

Lilac stormed into the kitchen where Magnolia and Lake hid, "Those two have more energy than I know what to do with…I swear one day I'm going to feed them to the Beowolves…I need coffee!"

Magnolia slid a full mug across the countertop. Lilac downed the steaming cup without cream or sugar as she headed out. Her silence was its own 'thank you.'

"You dodged a bullet." Magnolia said. Lake chuckled and moseyed over to the fridge.

"The dance is tonight, by the way." He plucked jars of peanut butter from inside and brought them to the dining table.

Magnolia rolled her eyes, "If that's how you're going to ask me, it's a no."

Lake kissed his teeth, "Pfft. I've got several offers already, for your information."

"Lies." Magnolia leaned against the counter, "I know almost every girl here, and that none of them know you."

"Even Charlotte Magne of team Curse?" Lake said.

"First, _her_ of all people? She's an airhead, Lake! You can do much better than that." Magnolia grimaced, "Second, what the hell are you doing?"

Lake furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He answered, his words muffled, "What are you talking about?"

"The peanut butter. Normal people don't eat it straight out of the jar—have you been doing this the whole time?!"

Lake froze before drawling, "Yeah? No one else here eats it."

Magnolia pressed her palm against her forehead, "Actually, we do. Roxo and I use it in sandwiches and stuff, Lake."

A loud, inhuman gag echoed from the top of the banister, "What the heck Lake!"

Roxo stumbled downstairs half-dressed. He tripped over his bare feet and made his way over to the loft.

"There's like three other jars still," Lake commented.

"We're still one jar short!" Roxo lamented, "Peanut butter's not cheap either."

Lake took a moment to process, "It's barely even twenty Lien!"

Magnolia glared daggers Lake's way. Roxo scrunched his nose in frustration, "Easy for you to say. Twenty Lien is probably what you find on the ground at home."

Lake bit his lip, replying, "I didn't mean it like that…Roxo."

Roxo shrugged and turned to Magnolia. "Have you seen Lilac?"

"She went to the hall to decorate," she answered.

Roxo slid into his shoes and nodded at her; a silent _thanks_.

"Go get 'em tiger." Magnolia sighed, eyes trailing as he left.

"You don't have a date yet, do you?" Lake said.

"Don't need one. I'm a strong, independent woman." She said, "Don't act like you don't have to make it back up to Roxo. That was a low blow earlier, I hope you know."

Lake shrugged, "Well, what do I do?"

Magnolia raised an eyebrow, "I don't know what guys do. Play wingman or something…or maybe help him buy tickets. I know for a fact that he's only been able to save up enough for one."

Lake pondered, "Ahh…I've got an idea or two."

He grinned and set off after Roxo. Meanwhile, Magnolia lounged around the living room. Teal's unsuspecting energy danced down the stairs. He tap-danced throughout the floor.

"Mornin' sis," he chirped.

"Yo." Magnolia's familiar aloofness calmed the air, "I think we'll be accompanying each other to the dance tonight."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Teal said, and surged through the front door.

Outside the hall, Roxo hid against the wall. Lilac's unique heartbeat seized throughout the ground, under his feet. He held a bouquet of lavenders tight to his chest.

"S-So Lilac," he practiced. "Would you maybe, want to go to the dance with me? I mean, I don't have the tickets yet so—No don't say that…"

He took a deep breath, soaking in the sickly sweet flora. He closed his eyes and attempted to imagine.

"Hey Lilac!" A certain, scratchy and eerie voice entered the back door of the hall. Roxo chided himself, _Why is he here?_

Ivory and his ensemble swaggered into the room, mistaking the streamers as something to fidget with. Lilac ribboned strewn magnolias across the tables, ignoring their greetings until the generous smell of spice smothered the room.

"How you doin'?"

"Great, how are you?" She greeted with a feign smile. She refused to make eye contact with the boy, continuing her final touches on the hall.

"I was doin' terrible 'til I saw you." His smirk was like an audible _tsk_. Lilac wanted to tear it from his face and feed it to the Beowolves, "I'm doin' fine now."

"What'd you come by for? I could use some help while the twins spread flyers around the school."

Ivory shrugged, a complicated way of saying _nah_. "I came by to see if you wanted to go with the homecoming king tonight."

"I am." She said. Roxo leaned in to the door to listen closer.

Ivory turned back to his boys, "Where's my two-hundred Lien now, Rex? I told you."

Lilac rolled her eyes, "I wasn't finished, Ivory." His name rolled off her tongue like mercury; it left a burning taste in her mouth, "I'm not going with you. I'm going with a real king, not some douche that'll probably abandon me after he finds a hotter girl."

Ivory's face tightened, "Name 'im."

"Roxo Grimmsickle." Lilac said with pride. Roxo pressed his entire weight against the door. His hands accidentally brushed over the handle and forced the door open.

"Wh-Whoa!" Roxo staggered inside, "I, uh, got lost…yeah."

Ivory wrinkled his face enough that he could feel the waves of his face's movements across the hall. Ivory refrained from whatever violent outburst he was about to unleash. In the evening light cascading from the windows, tiny horns poked out from the top of Ivory's scalp. He had patchy bronze skin. His arms were patterned with pale stripes like scars, but upon closer inspection, weren't the result of cuts or scratches. Another one of these birthmarks ran across his nose in a gradually thinning line.

The sun glistened on his arms, exposed by the chopped sleeves of his tank-top. He wore a dog-tag necklace and sagging ripped jeans and old chucks dusted by disuse. His hair was bone white and gray in some spots.

Roxo gulped, "I'm sorry Lilac, I heard my name and wasn't sure if I should—

"Save it for tonight." Lilac said. Ivory did nothing except storm off.

Roxo gulped. He hesitantly approached her with his bouquet, "I, uh, well I got these for you, too."

Lilac smiled wryly. Roxo felt her heartbeat steady from his position a few feet away. He made his way closer with clammy hands and shaky wrists. He held his bouquet out for her. She gracefully accepted the silent invitation, her hands grazing over his as she did.

Teal did everything he could to look presentable today. He wore a silk black bowtie, slicked his hair back, and donned a new, shiny pink blazer. He paced back and forth in front of the mirror.

"Don't screw this up man," he told himself. "Just say: 'Hey, I've got two tickets to the dance, and I was wondering…maybe the two of us could, you know, kick it?' But what'll he say…god what if he gets all touchy-feely?"

He grabbed onto the border of the mirror, of his reflection, and looked into his eyes, "It'll go fine." His footsteps rocked the hallways as he raced through the dorm.

The courtyard in front of the hall stood empty except for a young man with a letter in hand, leaning against the fountain center. Teal slipped his pair of tickets into his breast pocket and strutted over. He rehearsed in his brain what he was going to say.

He lifted his arm up to wave, calling out, "Hey—

"Oye, Francesco!" Another voice called from the other side of the court. A girl with short blonde hair and a blue dress appeared and took his hand. Francesco merely tossed his letter, _Teal's_ letter, into the fountain.

Teal watched them walk into the hall together. The electrical system around him—the lights, the pumps for the fountain—all flickered under his grasp. He stared at his feet and kicked rocks.

"That's rough." Lake's voice cooed from behind him.

Teal kissed his teeth, "Yeah. It really is."

Lake began to walk over to the hall himself. Teal lit up with an idea, "Hey. I've got two tickets for the dance still. Maybe we could…kick it?"

Lake laughed, "Sure man. Whatever floats your boat."

Teal cheered and followed Lake to the party. Inside, among the flashing lights and structure-shaking music, was a plethora of people. Lilac and Roxo huddled off to a corner of the dance floor. Meanwhile Magnolia sat at a table with the twins and Tungsten, who seemed very disinterested by the occasion.

Teal made his way over to his sister and offered her a hand, "I told you I'd save a dance."


	19. And the Winner Is: Tournament Pt I

**And the Winner Is!**

Teal zoomed through the corridors, far ahead of the rest of his team. The cold Atlesian spring greeted them like a cold blanket, despite being inside. Magnolia's hair was dusted like a pastry with snow. The floating Amity Colosseum made Roxo's stomach churn to the point where he leaned onto Lake for support.

"Why do we have to be in the very first round?" Roxo complained.

"Chill out Roxo," Lake cooed, skipping towards the arena entrance.

Magnolia echoed from behind, "Teal, the lights."

Teal froze, and the flickering hallway stabilized. The breathtaking coliseum greeted them with a variety of biomes. The cracked desert plateau wiped away Roxo's bubbling insides. He sighed in relief.

"That's good for us, right Roxo?" Lake chuckled. The other half of the terrain arose; an impenetrable tundra and liquid ice steamed against the desert heat.

"Water's great, right Lake?" Roxo gulped.

"Three!" The countdown began. Teal and Magnolia barely even noticed the other team confronting them.

"Two!" Both teams took to a fighting stance. Team WRLD of Haven Academy brandished their weapons. Their leader, Ward Willow, handled a steel Olympic weight Teal's size and twice as heavy. Rosin didn't carry a weapon, but the rough, sulfurous tar beneath his coat and underneath his gloves carried a potent scent. Little's hands rested behind her back, hiding a miniature canon. And Dia's metal cards glowed with a sharp neon light.

"One!" The battle commenced.

In the split second before the clash, Teal gave his first command. Roxo nodded and leapt forward, slamming his scythe into the ground.

"Let's rumble!" Teal shouted over the crunching rocks. The members of Team WRLD recoiled away, where Teal jumped and arched his sword. Crackling thunder and blinding arcs of electricity burned through the four. Dia held up her hands, and her cards absorbed the lightning, glowing perilously.

Teal and Magnolia followed in with an almighty strike. Magnolia's fiery drop kick and Teal's downward slam with his axe belled against Ward's dumbbell. Roxo bounced off Teal's icy shield, planting his strike into the barrel of Little's canon. The male found himself nearly out of boundaries, flying at death-defying speeds into the sky. He pointed the _Grimmsickle_ towards the arena and grappled back down into the ground.

"Watch your back," Dia's hushed voice appeared behind Lake, and delivered a powerful shock. Lake convulsed midair, but a fist of water threw Dia off her feet. He dusted the excess plasma off his shoulder and held up his cutlass. Blades clashed; his ice sent clouds of mist rolling from Dia's cards, attached together in a segmented blade.

Lake pushed forward, "You're pretty good at this."

Dia rolled her eyes, "That's why I go to Haven."

Teal viciously swung his axe in precarious circles. Ward simply ducked under each slow arch. Teal reformed his sword, and Ward took the opportunity to throw his weight into Teal.

"Whoa!" Teal ducked quick enough that his soul left his body for a hot second. The weight sailed across the arena, slamming into Lake's shield and shattering it. He hit the ground with a grunt; his aura was left halved. Dia saw her own opportunity and slammed her card-sword into the ground. Lake rolled out of the way and parried, carrying on their dance-like fencing match.

The announcers sang, "Would you look at that form!" and the crowds roared with excitement.

The weighted bar continued its journey through the air, distracting Magnolia from her bout with Roland. She paused to punch the end of the bar and send it flying back. A wave of force shook the entire arena; as if an unstoppable force just clashed with an immovable object. Roland led in with a burning fist. His entire body from the chest down was alight with flame. The black lining under his coat and gloves and around his boots and pants were made from a flammable surface, that burned at the mere snap of his fingers.

The reels on Magnolia's dust-powered fists glowed with hot flame. Neither team had even broken into the biomes of the arena, leaving the concrete center absolutely ravaged. Roland caught both of Magnolia's incoming jabs in his fists, and the two slammed heads. Magnolia's nerves were alight with adrenaline when Roland winked at her. She roared and broke free, wrapping her legs tight around his left shoulder in a tight armbar. Her bodyweight threw him to the ground, where she performed a backhand spring and boosted herself into the air.

Roland's eyes glazed over. She fell like a comet; flames and molten concrete twisted around her like ribbons. She connected with the ground fists first, and Roland was out like a light. The relieving electronic buzz meant a loss for his team.

"That's my Magnolia!" Lilac's voice boomed from the crowd.

"It's an RKO from Beacon's team Tourmaline!" The announcers' generic talk show voices echoed.

"Looks like Roland will be sleeping well."

Down on the battleground, Roxo tangled with Ward, having been tagged out by Teal. His scythe was constantly parried by Ward's equally heavy weapon. Ward equaled Roxo in height, but exemplified in stature. Ward's immense physical strength gradually overpowered Roxo's thin frame in head-to-head clashes. Roxo staggered on his feet, plunging his scythe in the ground to counterbalance himself.

Magnolia aided Lake while Teal handled Little's rain of cannon balls. Explosions chock full of ice, electricity, and powerful gusts of wind knocked the three onto the tundra. Dia's cards formed a glowing barrier against Lake's persistent jets of water and ice. Magnolia lead in with a powerful jab and broke apart the partition.

She slid across the battlefield when the ground began to slosh underneath her. The melting glacier flowed under Lake's control, throwing Dia out of the arena in a tidal gush. Dia's shouts were drowned out by the crashing water. Lake fell to his knees, exasperated.

"Mags! Watch out!" Teal shouted across the plane. Magnolia gasped and smashed a cannonball twice her size and then some. The concrete shell cracked apart and exploded, though she emerged from the dust unscathed. Little gulped from across the field. Her short arms and small hands went to her mouth out of nervousness. Her hot pink pigtails bobbed up and down nervously, and her bright cyan eyes gleamed with fearful tears.

"Ready for revenge?" Lake asked.

"Hell yeah." Magnolia rolled up her sleeves. She simply strutted across the battlefield, not minding Roxo and Ward's continuing battle. Her fists deflected each of Little's cannonballs like a game of dodgeball.

"You're pretty good at this." Ward grunted as he clashed with Roxo once more. "I didn't expect you'd be this strong."

Roxo furrowed his brow. "Uh, thanks."

He pushed his feet against small columns of concrete to shove Ward away. His foe's moves were staggered as he moved backwards. Roxo arched his scythe and slammed it hard against Ward's side. The Haven prodigy flew across the terrain, and Roxo aimed his harpoon towards him. The hook and spear sailed towards Ward, but his dumbbell overpowered the chain.

It knocked Roxo's weapon out of his hands upon impact and continued flying towards the boy. Roxo bent over backwards to duck and somersaulted to his feet. The dumbbell flew into a nearby glacier and split it into fourths. Roxo gulped and loosened his collar. "That was a close one."

Ward stood back up and approached Roxo. Roxo dove for his weapon just as Ward lunged to attack him. He held up his scythe in a defensive position when a cannonball the size of a pumpkin exploded on his head.

"Real close." Ward waved his hand, seeing stars despite being buried under concrete.

"And the winner is…Team Tourmaline of Beacon!"

Roxo breathed heavily and waved away the smoke. Little lied on the ground, dazzled. Magnolia's fist was black from gunpowder, as if she'd punched through layers of coal. She helped her partner to his feet, and raised their arms like the victors to a boxing match.


	20. Formidable Adversaries: Tournament Pt II

**Formidable Adversaries**

"Kicking off the end of round one is a much-awaited battle! Shade Academy's Team Mantis! Versus Beacon's own Team Lotus!"

The crowd roared with energy. Both teams arose to the center of the arena. Lilac and her team waved to the audience, while Saffron and Vermillion bounced up and down like a rubber ball between a floor and a ceiling. Tungsten crossed his arms, standing in his trademark b-boy stance. A lush forest arose around them, humid and draining. The sun peered down at them from above.

Team MNTS presented itself to its opponent. Maxillaria Brenner stood, meeting Tungsten's glare. He was tall, and firmly built. His hair pointed up in dark-red spikes, and his green eyes were a luscious forest. His sun-kissed, dark skin wasn't faded by the harsh sunlight. He wore only a pair of leafy green breeches and a gold chain necklace. The handles of two wooden tonfas peaked over the corners of his back.

 _Wooden weapons._ Vermillion thought.

 _Interesting_. Saffron replied with a glance at her brother. Her eyes grazed over the rest of the opposing team. Nyx, a familiar looking boy with unnaturally black hair and lilac colored eyes faced them. He was tall, though not lanky and his face was speckled with peach colored freckles. His pants were done up by two overlapping belts buckled by a silver scorpion, a cast iron chain rested in loops on his left thigh. The ruffled cuffs of his torn pants lead into a pair of shiny high-tops. He wore a leather jacket with the sleeves torn off, and nothing but a dog-tag necklace underneath.

Two remained; Tiger Garaa and Sera Tenchi. Sera hid behind the larger girl, masking herself with a reserved look. Tiger struck fear into the twins with a single look. Her skin was dark like Max's, though her features were softer and warmer. The edges of her cheeks were striped with several orange lines, tapered as they enclosed her face. Her raven hair was wrought with leaves, though still kept neatly in a short braid. She wore heeled leather boots and a crimson belted dress. A garnet colored shawl draped over her shoulders, and she held a leather briefcase adorned with gold. Sera stood behind her, the small girl unusually calm before battle. Her hair was dark green and shoulder-length, like the roof of a forest in the foggy morning, and her eyes were burnt gold. She wore a traditional kimono and obi, each a floral pattern of light and dark green.

Lilac awaited the countdown, feeling the pressure building in her veins. "Three! Two…"

"One!" The twins shouted in unison, immediately clashing with Max. Saffron bounced upon her brother's shield and somersaulted over Max, planting her sword into his wooden batons. Fire exploded from the edges in a golden flare. Lilac thrusted her spear towards Tiger, but the girl ducked, exposing Sera's escape to higher ground. A jade arrow whirred past Lilac's cheek, and she returned the gift with an explosive round of bullets. Her spear transformed into a pike, firing an endless flurry of bullets towards Tiger and Sera. Nyx's chain snaked through the air, but was caught by Tungsten's blades before reaching Lilac. He dragged the other boy away from the concrete field, throwing him into a tree at the edge of the jungle.

Tiger upheld her briefcase and it became a round shield. She advanced through Lilac's storm as if it was a quiet breeze, leaping over her pike and slamming the rim of her shield into Lilac's cheek. Her shield became a briefcase again, and proceeded to split into a pair of crackling knuckles. Another arrow whirred past Lilac as she recovered, and she ducked for cover when Tiger's onslaught advanced. Tungsten came to her side, fending off the other girl. He locked his hooks in between her knuckles and pulled them away, inadvertently dragging her closer.

"Tungsten, correct?" She asked, face only inches away from his.

"That's my name." He said and parried her knuckles with his swords. She planted her feet firm in the ground and threw herself at him. Tiger ran up his chest and vaulted off his face, propelling herself into the air. Her knuckles shrunk into pistols, volleying red bullets at Tungsten. He guarded himself and leapt out of the way, each bullet leaving a searing tang on his skin.

"Not so fast," he said. His hooks launched themselves from their hilts like grapples, latching onto Tiger's ankles and pulling her into the ground. He sprinted towards her and sent a hard kick into her chest. She flew out of the arena and into the pit surrounding.

"It's a knockout from Vale's team Lotus!" The announcer blared. Tungsten grinned pridefully, but was interrupted by a jade arrow without origin. He glanced around the arena for the source, but multiple projectiles forced him to hide. When he leapt behind a rock, a rough chain caught him by the ankle and dragged him into the center of the arena. Lilac sprinted in, swinging her spear like a baseball bat into Nyx. She twirled the weapon and stabbed it into the links of his chain, locking it into the ground.

"Hiya!" Saffron screamed, throwing her weight into Max. He was bruised and sweaty, as if the twins' endless attacks were too much. Before Saffron's enormous sword made contact with him, he caught it between his bare hands and threw it aside. Max slammed his heel into her side as she swapped positions with Vermillion. Saffron flew aside instead.

"You two are quite a handful," he said, twirling his tonfas in his hands. He clipped his batons together into a single staff, fire blazing from the edges. "Nyx! Swap with me!"

"On it!" His teammate shouted and slid between Lilac and Tungsten. Max leapt over Nyx and dropkicked Tungsten. He tumbled back, landing on a large tree root.

"Sera! _Strongest wind_!" He shouted, and the girl leapt from the trees. Her magnificent green bow shortened into thick nunchucks. She hit Lilac with a flurry of short attacks. Lilac's heavy weapon burdened her as she tried to return an attack. Max kept Tungsten at bay while Sera fended off Lilac. Nyx pried Saffron and Vermillion apart, lacing Vermillion in the chain and swinging him into the other twin. Saffron was thrown out of the arena, while Vermillion hit a tree and passed out. His eyes swirled while he lied in the grass.

"Shit." Lilac scorned, pressing her back against Tungsten's. She was worn from fighting Sera. The green woman struck again, only to be caught in Tungsten's hooks. He prepared the final blow when Nyx dragged her away and crashed into Tungsten. He threw Nyx from him, but was struck in the back of the head by Max. Lilac was left surrounded by the remainders of team MNTS. She took a deep breath and drilled her weapon in the dirt. Max cracked his knuckles. Nyx reeled up his chain. Sera's weapon expanded into a bow and she nocked three gleaming arrows.

"Bring it," she said, and grabbed onto the pole. Max and Nyx leapt at her from above and below. Lilac's foot connected with Nyx's jaw, sending him reeling, while her elbow crackled Max's head. The boy saw stars and fell unconscious.

"What a beautiful display from Miss Abernathy!"

"Yes, but will she be able to hold her own?!"

Lilac wrapped her spear in Nyx's chain with her spear and dragged him back to earth. As he fell, she slammed her knee into his stomach and tossed him away. She breathed heavily, battle worn. She searched the permitter for Sera, though the girl was lost in the brush. An arrow sliced through her bangs from the left, then grazed her shirt from the front. Lilac found herself leaping and diving to avoid being struck. When she caught a glimpse of green silk, she aimed her spear into the forest and launched it. She sent a pulse of force behind the weapon, ensuring it hit her target.

"Oof!" Sera grunted, and the clang of metal clattered in the arena. Before Lilac could react, her spear was sent flying back to her at terminal velocity. She was struck and tumbled backwards, though her aura flared around her in a whiskey-colored wave.

"What a beautiful display of skills from both sides, but the winner is…Team MNTS!"

Only half of the crowd roared with joy. Team LTVS lied sprawled across the arena in a dizzy slumber. Tungsten and Saffron, having the most remaining strength, dragged their team to a spot in the fairgrounds. They sat underneath a willow tree, out of the sun.

"Hey! Lilac!" Magnolia called, "Great job out there. You really kicked ass!"

Roxo plopped down next to her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "You were so fast in that last little bit that I couldn't track your movements in the ground."

Lilac smiled and flushed. "Thanks you guys!" She wrapped both Roxo and Magnolia in a tight embrace, tearing up. Meanwhile Tungsten and Teal and Lake praised each other. Lake brought the eight of them lunch in a picnic basket.

"I hope you don't mind if we join you, too." A voice, soft like the willow vines, emerged behind them. Tiger and Sera of Team MNTS greeted them. Lilac and Magnolia exchanged uncertain glances. The LTVS leader brushed the thought away and welcomed the former adversaries.

Lilac smiled and gestured around them. "Well, I don't see why not. You were such good opponents, I think you've earned it."

Tiger grinned, "Thanks. Tungsten really got me there at the start of the match."

Tungsten averted his attention away from Teal. "Well, I try my best."

Lake caught a glimpse of Sera and froze. His conversation with Teal and Tungsten immediately trailed off as he dozed.

" _Annyeonghaseyo._ " He gulped. Sera returned a strange look. Lake scratched his head, "My bad."

"It's alright, I get that all the time."

"So… _kon'nichiwa._ " He said, his confidence faltering. " _Watashi wa Lake-desu_."

She smiled and blushed. "I'm actually…not fluent."

Lake clasped his forehead and rocked back in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. It's just that I wanted to—

She goaded him with her looks, still remaining silent. Her curly green hair bounced in the wind like rosebushes in the spring, her eyes dimming like the sunset.

"I, uh, wanted to impress you…" Lake twiddled his fingers. She laughed.

"Well, you sure are a comedian. That's impressive in itself."

As their conversation carried on, Tiger and Magnolia caught on quick. The two shared a love for battle tactics and a strange interest for crime investigation. Magnolia marveled at Tiger's surprising adoration for boxing and mixed-martial-arts.

"So, you're the Ciel twins, correct?" Tiger asked tactfully. Even when engaged in friendly conversation, she remained formal and controlled.

Magnolia nodded, "I'm sure you've heard the stories, haven't you?"

"Only a thousand times!" Tiger burst with excitement, but instantly cooled down. "Pardon, I let myself go there, but I absolutely love researching the case. Do you know who did it? Who sold your family out?"

Magnolia sighed, "Unfortunately, I do not. But, if it means the liberation of Faunus slaves to my parents' industry, I don't care. I have a feeling, though, that the falling stocks and rising demand made an opportunity to strike. It must have been a trade partner that exposed them in a foreign exchange."

"That's incredible. Were you aware of any exchanges happening at the moment?"

"No, but Teal most likely was. Father initially wanted him to inherit the company, but…nevermind."

Tiger nodded slowly. "I understand. I won't press on." She thought for an indecisive moment. "I watched your team's battle earlier. You guys display fantastic teamwork, by the way. You all seem aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses, when to assist each other, and all without too much verbal communication."

Magnolia smiled subtly. "Thanks. At home, or in dorm, I should say, we try to keep the team very familial. I think it helps with teamwork building."

"I take it you do most of the leading? Guiding your brother must be a handful."

"I wouldn't underestimate him. He might come off a bit foolhardy, but that's just his personality. He knows what he's doing most of the time. As a matter of fact, he came up with the idea of incorporating family-style relationships in our team."

"Interesting. The bravado he carries doesn't interfere with his ability to lead."

"Something of that sort." Magnolia said.

"Tiger! Sera!" Nyx called out from afar. "Max found a good lunch spot for us!"

Roxo turned his head. "That…voice. It can't be."

"Something wrong, Rox?" Magnolia asked.

Roxo shook his head. "I...nevermind."

"I guess it's time for us to leave. Sera!" Tiger said, walking away with her partner. "Fancy meeting you, I hope we can meet again soon."

Sera rose from her position next to Lake, and waved quietly. She took her exit with Tiger.

"It's hard to think we're in Atlas, don't you think so?" Lake asked, turning to Teal.

"I still can't believe the temperature rose above forty degrees." Teal replied, loosening his collar. "Maybe it heated up cause I arrived."

Lake rolled his eyes and laughed. Teal felt himself ease at the sound of Lake's voice. It was like _God no…_

"What did you think of Sera?" He asked, and Teal was immediately brought back to Earth.

"She was pretty…" Teal said.

"I think so too."


	21. Untimely Reunion pt I

**Untimely Reunion**

"It's time for the doubles!" The announcer blared, and the crowds revved with energy.

"Yes! Kicking off the first of the doubles matches is Vale's own Team Tourmaline."

"Is that Professor Burley? What's she doing here?" Roxo turned to Lake, curiously feeling the location.

"I guess she's a fill in for the other announcer." Lake replied.

"Versus, Shade Academy's Team MNTS!"

"Our competitors are—drum roll please." Burley said, trilling her fingers on the desk. "Roxo Grimmsickle and Lake Hikari-Akiro, facing…what's this? Nyx Grimmsickle and Sera Tenchi! What an interesting combination!"

"Coincidence? I think not."

Roxo's eyes widened. "I…Nyx?!"

The boy across from him reddened. His pulse rose so quickly that Roxo could hear it loud and clear, like elephant stomps in the earth. Lake appeared nervous as well, cautiously eying the two siblings. Roxo frowned when Nyx didn't reply. The countdown began.

"Three!"

"What happened, Nyx?"

"Two!"

"I'm sorry."

"One!"

Lake cast a watery jet across the concrete arena, throwing steam into the air. An enormous, hazy cloud billowed into the coliseum, slowly burning away from the desert sun. A beach and a cliffside surrounded them, building both a breeze and a glaring light. Lake cautiously watched the shore, ready to dive in when the time was right.

"It seems the game has played into Roxo's favor." Burley commented.

Lake concentrated on keeping the fog intact as Roxo snaked through the field. He prepped his sword as soon as he heard concrete crumble under his feet. He listened to reeling chains and muffled grunts as he advanced. Roxo moved quickly through the mist, knowing the location of his opponents without seeing them. The mantis herself, Sera, wandered with her bow in hand. Roxo pulled her closer and struck. Her arrows pierced through the fog, clipping his side and forcing him to dance around the ammunition. The shrill touch of cold jade was a shock; a reminder that her accuracy was unmatched, even in the blinding fog.

He sprinted for Nyx, greeting his brother with a grim cleave. He dug his heels into the ground, spinning at blinding speed and slamming his scythe into Nyx. The boy guarded by crossing his arms in front of him, though Roxo broke through his shield and forced him backwards. Nyx's cold cast iron chain wrapped around his ankle and flipped him over. Roxo's scythe clattered aside as he hit the ground, sending spiral cracks in several directions. When he dove to retrieve his weapon, a sharp tug threw him into the air. Roxo was brutally slammed into the ground again when Nyx drove him down.

"I'm sorry we have to reunite like this, Roxo." Nyx said, though his voice was stoic and lifeless. Roxo fought the chain around his foot, throwing it back to Nyx. He bit back his reply, retrieving his weapon. He sprinted forward, driving his entire force into Nyx and throwing him into the cliffside, leaving a crater in his wake.

"Roxo!" Lake shouted, dispersing the fog with a wave of his hand. The moment he opened his eyes to search for his teammate, Sera sailed above him, raining several arrows down at him. He saw everything in slow-motion, firing jets of water into the arrows before they burned into his aura. Lake sliced through two of the arrows with his cutlass, dividing them into four slivers. The remainder caught him in the chest, and a volley of arrows forced him back. Sera was relentless and silent, quickly transitioning to nun-chucks. Her tough emerald chucks slammed into Lake's icy sword, sending a hairline fracture into the weapon. He pushed back, as did she, neither gaining any footing against the other.

"How's it going?" He asked, shoving her away. She replied with a light chuckle before sweeping her leg under his. He slipped and cracked the concrete under his back. He then rolled away from her following burst of assaults, summoning a fiery Dust sword. As the blade made contact with her weapon, it combusted in a evanescent flame, forcing her backward. She flew back with a hard kick, and retreated to higher ground. Lake chased after her, though she easily outran him.

In the distance, Roxo and Nyx fought atop the mesa, constantly entangling each other in chains. Lake squinted when they flew, as a column of earth propelled the two into the air, each fighting for foothold over the other.

Lake dove out of the way when they crashed, Roxo hitting the ground first. Nyx leapt off his opponent and returned to Sera's side, giving Lake a chance to heave Roxo out of the crater. Roxo brushed the dust from his shoulders and cheek. He was totally complacent, unusual for his usual battle attitude. Lake reared his fiery sword and icy shield, while Roxo's scythe spun in his hands, itching to battle.

"Shield." Roxo muttered. Lake understood, and held the platform up. Roxo hopped and pressed his weight into the shield and vaulted into the sky, coming down in a sharp spin. Lake advanced, catching Sera off her feet before Roxo struck. Nyx attempted his escape, but a watery rope around his foot reeled him closer. Roxy's scythe whirred through the air like a circular saw as he came down and struck, sending a wave of dust into the arena. He trembled as his scythe connected with Sera's palm. A window of green aura flared between the two surfaces, and Roxo flew back the same path he fell from.

"We've seen it all folks! What a fantastic display of Sera Tenchi's semblance!"

"Tell me more about this semblance, Wimbledon."

"Well, it's a risky move by Mantis, but very, very handy. You see, her ability allows her to utilize what's called aikido, or the art of using your opponent's momentum against them. Though it only works on inanimate objects with large mass, Sera is able to deflect heavy attacks, as we have just seen."

Lake's eyes glazed over when the familiar buzz of a knockout sounded. Roxo flew out of the arena, hitting the invisible ceiling of the coliseum itself. Lakes mentally prepared himself, changing his stance and tightening his grip. A stream of curses

"It's all up to you now, Lake!" Roxo's voice broke through the crowd. Lake did his best to find the voice, but he caught onto a more sinister face.

He froze, seeing the man in the crowd. The older, gray haired man wore a solemn look, waiting to see what Lake would do next. An arrow and chain dragged Lake back to reality in a split second. He deflected the attacks with his shield, retreating behind a rock. He held his breath, hearing them approach. The arena flashed before his eyes; the cliffs, the sun, the beach…the beach.

"The beach!" Lake said, and sprinted for the water before the two struck. Sera's arrows chased him down to the shore when he dove into the water. When his fingers broke through the surface, Nyx's chain hooked around his ankle and dragged him across the hot sand.

"Too slow." He taunted.

"Yeah, too slow." Lake said, and a ribbon of water followed him from the surface where he dipped his finger. He pressed his weight against Nyx when he crashed into him, and whipped him into submission with a powerful wave. The Scorpion of team MNTS flew across the stage, tumbling backwards over the concrete before slamming into the mesa. Lake encased his jacket in the icy water, glowing glyphs illuminating his sleeves and chest. Sera's arrows flew from point blank range, but froze and shattered when they connected with his coat. He dredged across the arena, leaving icy footsteps in his wake. Sera took a hesitant step back, readying her nun chucks. She took a step forward and threw herself at him. The clubs hit him with full force, but his burst of water and ice threw her off her feet.

When she fell back to earth unconscious, the announcers and the crowd blared. "Team TRML of Vale will be advancing into the final rounds of the Vytal Tournament!"

Lake fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the victory. The crowd stood in ovation, applauding and cheering. He peered back at the seat where his father sat, and saw the man with a smug look on his face. Roxo hobbled out of the arena, waiting for Lake in his bruised and scratched glory. Dust and rubble decorated his shoulders and face. His right cheek wore a hash-shaped scratch and flushed red. Lake aided the big guy in walking back to the fairgrounds.

"Great battle, Rox." Lake commented in between huffs before meeting with Teal and Magnolia. Magnolia accepted Roxo's weight onto her shoulders as well.

"Was Nyx…is he your—

"Yes…that's my older brother." Roxo interrupted, finally dropping himself onto their spot by the willow tree.

Lake's heart dropped. "How much younger are you than Nyx?"

"Three years, but he was able to enter Beacon at fifteen since advanced classes at Strike Elementary put him ahead. That's how I was able to get in two years in advance as well."

Teal's jaw dropped. "You're fifteen?!"

Roxo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Of all people, you should know this Teal."

Teal blabbered on about how Roxo never 'cared' enough to share that bit of information. Lake frowned and drew in the dirt with a twig.

"Lake," Magnolia's tiresome voice wore and plucked the stick from his fingers. "What's wrong with you now? You just won a battle and you're moping."

"That means she's graduating." He sobbed. "They're fourth-years, Mags! Sera is a senior and I'm a freshman."

Teal froze and shot a weary look at Lake. "And? One time, back at home, there was this dashing young tutor leaving. He was twenty-one, and I was fifteen, but that didn't stop—

Magnolia grabbed her brother's lips and clutched them tightly. "I don't want to hear that story again." She shot an endearing look back at Lake. "Then what are you waiting for?! Go get her number!"

Teal punched Lake in the shoulder and looked Sera's way. She was currently chatting with a familiar face. Their previous adversary, Ward Willow, leaned against a post, making advances with the girl. The pale Atlesian sunlight cascaded over Ward's orange outfit, shining across his rusty crew cut and chiseled face. He wore a white woolen scarf, though it didn't quite suit him. His draping orange coat was trimmed with bright silver and stopped below his knees. The boots wrapped around his feet were black and cuffed at the top. He wore a thin cotton tee that exposed the pale skin underneath and several chain necklaces to be modest.

Teal couldn't help but stare, and proceeded tugged on Lake's jacket. "Let's go! I'll play wingman if you do too!"


End file.
